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

A person has been arrested after cellphone video captured what gave the impression to be a number of 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 gaggle who says they "delight ourselves on defending and spreading awareness on the beautiful waters we get to name home," was shot just after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Landing Marina.

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

"As we passed them and expressed our disagreement, we have been ignored they usually continued popping away with no care on the planet," the group posted in their message.

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

Miami-Dade Police mentioned Wednesday night time that they arrested one man and handed out nine civil citations.

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

“As a group, we share the duty to protect our environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez mentioned in an announcement. "I'm extraordinarily pleased with our Unlawful 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 might propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram tales, saying he was not responsible for the balloon popping.

"First off, I want to put my heart out and say how essential it's to guard our surroundings," he stated.

Cloud Nine, an event planning company, additionally deflected responsibility in a statement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor decorated the boat and left. We embellished the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we at all times do. We are never in charge of removing balloon decorations," the assertion read in part.

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

"I used to be pretty upset about it, that is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna mentioned. "I used to be right here after they were setting them up and then initially I didn't really assume a lot of it however I guess as the day was accomplished they usually started popping away and letting them all go into the water I was shocked."

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

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

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission stated balloons can be mistaken for food by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can result in inner injury, starvation, and death.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.