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 close to a Coconut Grove marina on Tuesday.

The video posted by MMG Outboard Division, a gaggle who says they "pride ourselves on defending and spreading consciousness on the gorgeous waters we get to call residence," 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 passed them and expressed our disagreement, we had 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 studies

Miami-Dade Police stated Wednesday evening 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 setting.

“As a group, we share the accountability to guard the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez mentioned in a statement. "I am extraordinarily proud of 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 accountable for the balloon popping.

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

Cloud Nine, an occasion planning firm, also deflected duty in a press release 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 never in command of eradicating balloon decorations," the statement learn partly.

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

"I was pretty upset about it, this is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna mentioned. "I was here after they had been setting them up and then initially I did not really think a lot of it however I guess because the day was achieved and so they started popping away and letting them all go into the water I used to be shocked."

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

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys critical, is this something you're going to do right now?' [They] form of simply blew me off, ignored me," Bruna mentioned. "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 Fee stated balloons will be mistaken for food by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to inside harm, hunger, and death.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.