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 close to a Coconut Grove marina on Tuesday.

The video posted by MMG Outboard Division, a group who says they "satisfaction ourselves on protecting and spreading consciousness on the beautiful waters we get to name dwelling," was shot simply after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Landing Marina.

Two individuals 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 and they continued popping away with no care on the earth," 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 stories

Miami-Dade Police said 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 environment.

“As a community, we share the responsibility to protect our surroundings," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez said in a press release. "I'm extremely happy with 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 could propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram stories, saying he was not answerable for the balloon popping.

"First off, I want to put my coronary heart out and say how essential it is to guard our environment," he stated.

Cloud 9, an occasion planning company, additionally deflected duty 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 at all times do. We are never accountable for removing balloon decorations," the statement read partly.

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

"I used to be pretty upset about it, this is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna stated. "I was right here when they have been setting them up and then initially I didn't actually suppose much of it however I guess because the day was performed and so they started popping away and letting all of them go into the water I was shocked."

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

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

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee mentioned balloons could be mistaken for food by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to internal harm, hunger, and demise.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.