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

A man has been arrested after cellphone video captured what gave the impression 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 "satisfaction ourselves on protecting and spreading consciousness on the beautiful waters we get to call dwelling," was shot simply after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Landing Marina.

Two folks onboard the boat are seen popping balloons and letting them fall into the water.

"As we passed them and expressed our disagreement, we were ignored and they continued popping away with no care on this planet," the group posted of their message.

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

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

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

“As a neighborhood, we share the responsibility to guard the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in a statement. "I'm extremely 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 could suggest to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram stories, saying he was not accountable for the balloon popping.

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

Cloud Nine, an event planning firm, also deflected accountability in a statement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor decorated the boat and left. We adorned the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we always do. We are never in control of removing balloon decorations," the assertion learn partly.

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 said. "I was right here once they had been setting them up and then initially I did not actually suppose a lot of it however I assume as the day was achieved they usually started popping away and letting them all go into the water I used to be shocked."

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

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys serious, is this one thing you're going to do right now?' [They] type 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 said balloons may be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can result in inner injury, hunger, and loss of life.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.