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

A man has been arrested after cellphone video captured what gave the impression 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 gaggle who says they "delight ourselves on defending and spreading consciousness on the gorgeous waters we get to call residence," was shot simply 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 handed them and expressed our disagreement, we were ignored and so they 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 people on a ship popping balloons into the ocean. NBC 6's Jamie Guirola experiences

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 neighborhood, we share the duty to guard our surroundings," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in an announcement. "I am extraordinarily happy 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 may suggest to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram tales, saying he was not liable for the balloon popping.

"First off, I need to put my coronary heart out and say how important it is to guard our surroundings," he said.

Cloud Nine, an occasion planning firm, additionally 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're never accountable for eradicating balloon decorations," the statement learn partially.

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 was here after they had been setting them up after which initially I did not actually suppose a lot of it however I assume because the day was carried out and so they began popping away and letting all of them go into the water I used to be shocked."

One witness stated the balloons may have been part of a wedding proposal. Bruna stated he confronted the individuals.

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

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee stated balloons could be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can result in inner damage, hunger, and demise.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.