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 gaggle who says they "pleasure ourselves on protecting and spreading awareness on the beautiful waters we get to name 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 had been ignored they usually 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 people on a boat popping balloons into the ocean. NBC 6's Jamie Guirola experiences

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

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

“As a group, we share the responsibility to protect our environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez mentioned in a statement. "I'm extremely happy 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 might propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram stories, saying he was not liable for the balloon popping.

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

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

"Our balloon vendor embellished the boat and left. We embellished 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 used to be pretty upset about it, this is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna stated. "I used to be right here after they had been setting them up and then initially I didn't actually assume a lot of it however I assume because the day was completed and so they started popping away and letting all of them go into the water I was shocked."

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

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys critical, is that this one thing you are going to do proper now?' [They] form of just blew me off, ignored me," Bruna mentioned. "It was horrifying to see what they have been doing to the marine life and the waterways by simply dumping all of those balloons into the water."

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee said balloons could be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can result in internal damage, hunger, and death.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.