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 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 defending and spreading awareness on the beautiful waters we get to call home," was shot just 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 have been ignored and they continued popping away with no care in the world," 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 said Wednesday evening 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 setting.

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

"First off, I want to put my heart out and say how essential it's to guard the environment," he stated.

Cloud 9, an event planning company, additionally deflected accountability in a statement 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 never in control of eradicating balloon decorations," the statement read partly.

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

"I used to be pretty upset about it, this is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna stated. "I used to be here when they had been setting them up after which initially I didn't actually suppose a lot of it however I assume because the day was executed they usually began popping away and letting all of them go into the water I was shocked."

One witness stated the balloons could have been a part of a marriage proposal. Bruna stated he confronted the folks.

"I discussed to them,' are you guys serious, is this one thing you're going to do right now?' [They] form 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 simply dumping all of these balloons into the water."

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said balloons might be mistaken for food by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to inner injury, hunger, and loss of life.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.