Arrest Made in Balloon Littering Investigation at Coconut Grove Marina – NBC 6 South Florida

A person has been arrested after cellphone video captured what appeared to be several boaters popping balloons and letting the trash fall into the water near a Coconut Grove marina on Tuesday.

The video posted by MMG Outboard Division, a group who says they "pride ourselves on protecting and spreading awareness on the attractive waters we get to name home," was shot simply after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Landing Marina.

Two folks onboard the boat are seen popping balloons and letting them fall into the water.

"As we handed them and expressed our disagreement, we were ignored and so they continued popping away with no care on the planet," the group posted of their message.

Miami-Dade police have made an arrest after cellphone video surfaced of people on a ship popping balloons into the ocean. NBC 6's Jamie Guirola studies

Miami-Dade Police stated Wednesday evening that they arrested one man and handed out nine civil citations.

The man was recognized as 29-year-old David Torres-Bocanegra. He was charged with reckless disregard for the setting.

“As a community, we share the accountability to guard our surroundings," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez said in a press release. "I am extremely happy with our Illegal Dumping Unit, for his or her thorough investigation and swift conclusion to this case."

David Torres-Bocanegra

Tom Rivas, who rented the boat so he may suggest to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram tales, saying he was not accountable for the balloon popping.

"First off, I need to put my coronary heart out and say how vital it is to protect our environment," he mentioned.

Cloud Nine, an event planning firm, also deflected responsibility in a press release on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor embellished the boat and left. We embellished the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we all the time do. We are by no means in charge of removing balloon decorations," the statement read partly.

Esteban Bruna, a yacht broker, shot the cellphone video.

"I used to be fairly upset about it, this is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna mentioned. "I used to be right here once they had been setting them up after which initially I didn't really suppose much of it but I assume because the day was achieved and they started popping away and letting all of them go into the water I was shocked."

One witness said the balloons could have been a part of a marriage proposal. Bruna said he confronted the folks.

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys severe, is this one thing you're going to do proper now?' [They] type of just blew me off, ignored me," Bruna mentioned. "It was horrifying to see what they were doing to the marine life and the waterways by simply dumping all of those balloons into the water."

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee said balloons could be mistaken for food by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to inside injury, starvation, and loss of life.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.