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 near a Coconut Grove marina on Tuesday.

The video posted by MMG Outboard Division, a group who says they "satisfaction ourselves on protecting and spreading awareness on the gorgeous waters we get to name residence," was shot just after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Touchdown 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 have been ignored they usually 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 individuals 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 man was recognized as 29-year-old David Torres-Bocanegra. He was charged with reckless disregard for the surroundings.

“As a group, we share the accountability to protect the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in an announcement. "I'm extraordinarily pleased 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 may propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram tales, saying he was not chargeable for the balloon popping.

"First off, I need to put my heart out and say how necessary it is to guard our surroundings," he stated.

Cloud 9, an occasion planning company, also 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 all the time do. We are by no means in control of removing balloon decorations," the statement learn in part.

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

"I was fairly upset about it, this is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna said. "I was here once they were setting them up after which initially I didn't really assume much of it however I guess as the day was achieved and so they began popping away and letting them all go into the water I used to be shocked."

One witness stated the balloons might have been part of a marriage proposal. Bruna stated he confronted the folks.

"I discussed to them,' are you guys critical, is this something you're going to do proper now?' [They] kind of simply blew me off, ignored me," Bruna stated. "It was horrifying to see what they were 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 might be mistaken for food by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to inner harm, starvation, and demise.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.