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 a number of 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 "delight ourselves on defending and spreading awareness on the beautiful waters we get to name 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 were ignored they usually continued popping away with no care on the 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 studies

Miami-Dade Police said Wednesday night time 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 environment.

“As a community, we share the responsibility to protect the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez mentioned in an announcement. "I'm extremely proud of our Illegal Dumping Unit, for their thorough investigation and swift conclusion to this case."

David Torres-Bocanegra

Tom Rivas, who rented the boat so he may propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram tales, saying he was not responsible for the balloon popping.

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

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

"Our balloon vendor embellished the boat and left. We decorated the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we always do. We are by no means in command of removing balloon decorations," the assertion learn in part.

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

"I used to be fairly 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 did not really think much of it but I assume because the day was accomplished and they began popping away and letting them all go into the water I used to be shocked."

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

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys critical, is this one thing you're going to do proper now?' [They] type of just blew me off, ignored me," Bruna mentioned. "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."

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission stated balloons could be mistaken for food by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can result in inner damage, starvation, and death.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.