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 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 "pride ourselves on protecting and spreading awareness on the beautiful waters we get to name residence," was shot just 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 were ignored and so 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 individuals on a ship popping balloons into the ocean. NBC 6's Jamie Guirola experiences

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

The man was recognized as 29-year-old David Torres-Bocanegra. He was charged with reckless disregard for the environment.

“As a group, we share the duty to guard our environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez mentioned in a statement. "I'm extraordinarily happy with our Illegal Dumping Unit, for their thorough investigation and swift conclusion to this case."

David Torres-Bocanegra

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

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

Cloud 9, an event planning firm, additionally deflected accountability in a press release on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor adorned the boat and left. We decorated the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we at all times do. We're never in command of removing balloon decorations," the assertion read partly.

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

"I used to be fairly upset about it, that is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna said. "I used to be here after they have been setting them up and then initially I did not actually suppose a lot of it but I assume as the day was achieved and they began popping away and letting all of them go into the water I was shocked."

One witness said the balloons may have been part of a wedding proposal. Bruna stated he confronted the individuals.

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys critical, is this one thing you are going to do proper now?' [They] sort of just blew me off, ignored me," Bruna said. "It was horrifying to see what they were 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 might be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can result in internal harm, starvation, and death.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.