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

A man 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 near a Coconut Grove marina on Tuesday.

The video posted by MMG Outboard Division, a bunch who says they "satisfaction ourselves on defending and spreading awareness on the beautiful waters we get to call home," 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 handed them and expressed our disagreement, we had been ignored and so they continued popping away with no care in the world," the group posted of 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 studies

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

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

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

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

Cloud Nine, an event planning company, also deflected accountability in an announcement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor adorned the boat and left. We adorned the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we always do. We are never in command of removing balloon decorations," the statement learn in part.

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

"I was pretty upset about it, that is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna said. "I was here once they have been setting them up after which initially I didn't really suppose a lot of it however 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 part of a marriage proposal. Bruna mentioned he confronted the people.

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys serious, is that this something you are going to do proper now?' [They] sort of simply 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 those balloons into the water."

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee stated balloons might be mistaken for food by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to inside damage, starvation, and loss of life.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.