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 "delight ourselves on defending and spreading consciousness on the attractive waters we get to name dwelling," was shot just after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Landing Marina.

Two individuals 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 and they continued popping away with no care in the world," 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 reviews

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

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

“As a group, we share the responsibility to protect the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in a press release. "I am extraordinarily proud of 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 could suggest to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram stories, saying he was not accountable for the balloon popping.

"First off, I wish to put my coronary heart out and say how important it is to protect our surroundings," he stated.

Cloud 9, an occasion planning firm, additionally deflected responsibility in a statement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor adorned the boat and left. We decorated the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we at all times do. We are by no means in command of removing balloon decorations," the assertion learn partially.

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

"I used to be pretty upset about it, this is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna mentioned. "I used to be right here when they were setting them up and then initially I did not actually assume a lot of it but I assume because the day was executed they usually started popping away and letting them all go into the water I was shocked."

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

"I discussed to them,' are you guys critical, is that this something you are going to do right now?' [They] type 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 simply dumping all of those balloons into the water."

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee mentioned balloons might be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can result in inside damage, starvation, and death.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.