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

A man has been arrested after cellphone video captured what gave the impression to be several 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 attractive waters we get to name home," 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 handed them and expressed our disagreement, we have been ignored and they continued popping away with no care on the earth," 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 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 responsibility to guard the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in a statement. "I am extraordinarily pleased 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 suggest 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 necessary it's to guard the environment," he mentioned.

Cloud 9, an event planning firm, also deflected responsibility in a statement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor decorated the boat and left. We adorned the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we always do. We're never in command of eradicating balloon decorations," the assertion read partially.

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

"I was pretty upset about it, this is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna said. "I used to be here once they have been setting them up and then initially I did not actually assume a lot of it however I assume as the day was finished and they started popping away and letting all of them go into the water I used to be shocked."

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

"I discussed to them,' are you guys severe, is this one thing you're going to do proper now?' [They] kind of just 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 Commission stated balloons could be mistaken for food by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to internal damage, hunger, and loss of life.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.