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

A person has been arrested after cellphone video captured what appeared 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 awareness on the attractive waters we get to name home," was shot simply 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 passed them and expressed our disagreement, we have been ignored and so they continued popping away with no care on this planet," the group posted in 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 studies

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

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

“As a neighborhood, we share the responsibility to guard the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in a statement. "I am extraordinarily pleased with our Illegal 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 propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram stories, saying he was not answerable for the balloon popping.

"First off, I need to put my heart out and say how important it's to guard our environment," he stated.

Cloud Nine, an occasion planning firm, also deflected responsibility in an announcement on Instagram.

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

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

"I used to be fairly upset about it, that is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna stated. "I used to be right here when they were setting them up after which initially I didn't actually suppose much of it but I suppose because the day was done they usually began popping away and letting them all go into the water I was shocked."

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

"I discussed to them,' are you guys critical, is that this something you are going to do proper 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 just dumping all of these balloons into the water."

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee said balloons might be mistaken for food by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to internal harm, starvation, and demise.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.