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 gaggle 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 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 have been ignored they usually continued popping away with no care on this planet," the group posted in 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 reviews

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

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

“As a group, we share the duty to protect the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez said in an announcement. "I'm extremely happy with our Unlawful 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 tales, saying he was not responsible for the balloon popping.

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

Cloud 9, an occasion planning firm, also deflected accountability in an announcement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor embellished the boat and left. We decorated the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we all the time do. We are never accountable for removing balloon decorations," the statement learn partially.

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

"I used to be pretty upset about it, that is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna said. "I was right here once they were setting them up after which initially I didn't really think a lot of it however I suppose because the day was carried out and 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 right now?' [They] kind of simply blew me off, ignored me," Bruna said. "It was horrifying to see what they have 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 Fee said balloons can be mistaken for food by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to inside harm, starvation, and loss of life.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.