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

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

The video posted by MMG Outboard Division, a bunch who says they "satisfaction ourselves on protecting and spreading consciousness on the attractive waters we get to name house," was shot just after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Touchdown Marina.

Two individuals 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 they usually continued popping away with no care on the earth," the group posted in their message.

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

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

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

“As a group, we share the duty to guard our surroundings," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez mentioned in a press release. "I am extremely pleased with our Unlawful Dumping Unit, for their thorough investigation and swift conclusion to this case."

David Torres-Bocanegra

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

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

Cloud 9, an event planning firm, also deflected responsibility in a statement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor embellished the boat and left. We embellished the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we at all times do. We're never answerable for eradicating balloon decorations," the statement learn partly.

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

"I was fairly upset about it, this is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna mentioned. "I used to be here once they have been setting them up after which initially I did not actually think much of it but I suppose because the day was completed they usually started popping away and letting all of them go into the water I was shocked."

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

"I discussed to them,' are you guys severe, is that this one thing you're going to do proper now?' [They] form of simply 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 just dumping all of those balloons into the water."

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission stated balloons may be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to inner harm, starvation, and death.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.