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 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 group who says they "pride ourselves on defending and spreading awareness on the gorgeous waters we get to call house," 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 handed them and expressed our disagreement, we have been ignored and they continued popping away with no care on this planet," the group posted in their message.

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

Miami-Dade Police mentioned Wednesday night 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 duty to protect our environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez said in an announcement. "I am extraordinarily pleased with 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 may propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram stories, saying he was not answerable for the balloon popping.

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

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

"Our balloon vendor adorned the boat and left. We adorned the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we all the time do. We are by no means accountable for eradicating balloon decorations," the statement read in part.

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

"I was fairly upset about it, this is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna stated. "I used to be here once they had been setting them up and then initially I didn't really think a lot of it but I guess as the day was finished they usually started popping away and letting all of them go into the water I was shocked."

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

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys severe, is this something you are going to do right now?' [They] sort of just 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 simply dumping all of those balloons into the water."

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee stated balloons can be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can result in internal harm, starvation, and dying.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.