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

A man has been arrested after cellphone video captured what seemed 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 bunch who says they "pride ourselves on protecting and spreading consciousness on the attractive waters we get to name home," 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 passed them and expressed our disagreement, we were ignored and so they 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 ship popping balloons into the ocean. NBC 6's Jamie Guirola reports

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

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

“As a community, we share the responsibility to protect the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in a press release. "I am extremely happy 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 may suggest to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram tales, saying he was not accountable for the balloon popping.

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

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

"Our balloon vendor decorated the boat and left. We embellished the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we all the time do. We're never answerable for removing balloon decorations," the statement learn partly.

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

"I was pretty upset about it, that is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna stated. "I was here after they were setting them up after which initially I did not really assume a lot of it but I suppose because the day was done they usually started popping away and letting all of them go into the water I used to be shocked."

One witness said the balloons may have been part of a marriage proposal. Bruna mentioned he confronted the people.

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys serious, is this one thing you are going to do right now?' [They] form of just blew me off, ignored me," Bruna said. "It was horrifying to see what they were 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 Commission stated balloons can be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to internal harm, hunger, and dying.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.