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 close to a Coconut Grove marina on Tuesday.

The video posted by MMG Outboard Division, a group who says they "pride ourselves on defending and spreading awareness on the attractive waters we get to call house," was shot simply after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Touchdown Marina.

Two individuals 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 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 reviews

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

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

“As a community, we share the responsibility to protect the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in a statement. "I am extraordinarily 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 could propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram stories, saying he was not liable for the balloon popping.

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

Cloud 9, an event planning company, additionally deflected accountability in an announcement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor decorated the boat and left. We embellished the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we all the time do. We are never answerable for removing balloon decorations," the assertion read partially.

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

"I used to be pretty upset about it, this is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna said. "I used to be here once they have been setting them up after which initially I did not actually assume much of it but I assume because the day was completed and they started popping away and letting them all go into the water I used to be shocked."

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

"I discussed to them,' are you guys severe, is this something you are going to do proper 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 just dumping all of these balloons into the water."

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission stated balloons could be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can result in inside injury, starvation, and demise.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.