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 a number of 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 group who says they "satisfaction ourselves on defending and spreading awareness on the beautiful waters we get to call dwelling," was shot simply after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Touchdown 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 and so they 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 individuals on a ship 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 9 civil citations.

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

“As a community, we share the responsibility to guard our surroundings," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez said in a press release. "I am extremely 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 propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram tales, saying he was not chargeable for the balloon popping.

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

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

"Our balloon vendor embellished the boat and left. We decorated the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we always do. We're by no means in charge of eradicating balloon decorations," the assertion learn partially.

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

"I was fairly upset about it, this is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna mentioned. "I was here once they were setting them up after which initially I did not really assume much of it however I guess as the day was carried out and so they began popping away and letting them all go into the water I used to be shocked."

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

"I discussed to them,' are you guys severe, is this one thing you are going to do proper now?' [They] kind of simply blew me off, ignored me," Bruna stated. "It was horrifying to see what they were 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 said balloons could be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can result in internal harm, hunger, and dying.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.