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 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 group who says they "pleasure ourselves on protecting and spreading awareness on the beautiful waters we get to name dwelling," 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 had been ignored they usually continued popping away with no care on this planet," the group posted of their message.

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

Miami-Dade Police stated Wednesday night time that they arrested one man and handed out 9 civil citations.

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

“As a neighborhood, we share the duty to protect the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez mentioned in a statement. "I am extraordinarily pleased 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 could propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram stories, saying he was not liable for the balloon popping.

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

Cloud 9, an occasion planning firm, also deflected responsibility in an announcement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor adorned the boat and left. We embellished the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we all the time do. We are never accountable for removing balloon decorations," the statement read in part.

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

"I was pretty upset about it, that is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna said. "I used to be here after they had been setting them up after which initially I did not really suppose much of it however I suppose as the day was performed they usually began popping away and letting all of them go into the water I was shocked."

One witness said the balloons could have been part of a wedding proposal. Bruna mentioned he confronted the individuals.

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

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee mentioned balloons could be mistaken for food by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can result in inner harm, starvation, and death.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.