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

A person 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 protecting and spreading awareness on the gorgeous waters we get to call dwelling," 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 the planet," the group posted in 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 reports

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

The man was identified 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 am extremely happy with our Unlawful Dumping Unit, for their thorough investigation and swift conclusion to this case."

David Torres-Bocanegra

Tom Rivas, who rented the boat so he may suggest to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram stories, saying he was not responsible for the balloon popping.

"First off, I wish to put my heart out and say how necessary it's to protect the environment," he stated.

Cloud Nine, an event planning firm, additionally deflected responsibility in a press release on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor embellished the boat and left. We embellished the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we always do. We are never in charge of eradicating balloon decorations," the statement learn in part.

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

"I used to be fairly upset about it, that is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna mentioned. "I used to be right here after they had been setting them up after which initially I didn't actually suppose much of it but I guess as the day was accomplished and so they began popping away and letting all of them go into the water I used to be shocked."

One witness mentioned the balloons may have been a part of a marriage proposal. Bruna mentioned 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] kind of just blew me off, ignored me," Bruna mentioned. "It was horrifying to see what they were doing to the marine life and the waterways by simply dumping all of these balloons into the water."

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee mentioned balloons could be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can result in inner injury, starvation, and death.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.