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

A man has been arrested after cellphone video captured what appeared 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 "pleasure ourselves on defending and spreading awareness on the gorgeous waters we get to call residence," was shot simply 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 handed them and expressed our disagreement, we were 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 ship popping balloons into the ocean. NBC 6's Jamie Guirola reports

Miami-Dade Police said Wednesday night 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 duty to protect our surroundings," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez mentioned in an announcement. "I'm extraordinarily 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 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 wish to put my heart out and say how vital it is to protect our environment," he mentioned.

Cloud Nine, an event planning company, also deflected accountability 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're by no means accountable for removing balloon decorations," the statement read partially.

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

"I used to be pretty upset about it, that is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna stated. "I was right here after they were setting them up and then initially I did not really assume much of it but I suppose because the day was performed and so they began popping away and letting them all go into the water I used to be shocked."

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

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys serious, is that this one thing 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 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 Commission said balloons could be mistaken for food by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to inside damage, starvation, and loss of life.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.