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

A person has been arrested after cellphone video captured what gave the impression 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 awareness on the gorgeous waters we get to call home," 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 on this 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 stories

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

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

“As a neighborhood, we share the duty to guard our environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez said in a statement. "I am extraordinarily 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 might propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram tales, saying he was not liable for the balloon popping.

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

Cloud 9, an event planning firm, additionally deflected duty in an announcement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor adorned the boat and left. We adorned the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we at all times do. We're by no means accountable for eradicating balloon decorations," the statement read in part.

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

"I was fairly upset about it, this is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna said. "I was here once they have been setting them up and then initially I didn't really think much of it however I suppose as the day was completed and they began popping away and letting them all go into the water I used to be shocked."

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

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys critical, is this one thing you are going to do right now?' [They] kind of just blew me off, ignored me," Bruna said. "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 stated balloons could be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to inside injury, starvation, and demise.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.