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

A man 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 "pleasure ourselves on defending and spreading consciousness on the gorgeous 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 have been ignored they usually continued popping away with no care on the planet," the group posted of their message.

Miami-Dade police have made an arrest after cellphone video surfaced of people on a boat popping balloons into the ocean. NBC 6's Jamie Guirola stories

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

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

“As a community, we share the accountability to protect our environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez mentioned in an announcement. "I'm extremely 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 may propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram stories, saying he was not chargeable for the balloon popping.

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

Cloud 9, an event planning company, also deflected responsibility in a statement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor decorated the boat and left. We decorated the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we at all times do. We're by no means accountable for removing balloon decorations," the statement learn partially.

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

"I was pretty upset about it, this is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna mentioned. "I was right here after they were setting them up and then initially I didn't actually suppose much of it however I assume because the day was done and they started popping away and letting all of them go into the water I was shocked."

One witness stated the balloons could have been part of a wedding proposal. Bruna said he confronted the individuals.

"I discussed to them,' are you guys severe, is that this one thing you are going to do proper now?' [They] sort of simply blew me off, ignored me," Bruna stated. "It was horrifying to see what they had been 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 Commission stated balloons might be mistaken for food by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to inner harm, hunger, and loss of life.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.