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 gaggle who says they "pleasure ourselves on defending and spreading awareness on the beautiful waters we get to name dwelling," was shot just after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Landing Marina.

Two people 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 the planet," the group posted of their message.

Miami-Dade police have made an arrest after cellphone video surfaced of people on a boat popping balloons into the ocean. NBC 6's Jamie Guirola experiences

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 environment.

“As a neighborhood, we share the accountability to guard our environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in a statement. "I'm extraordinarily proud of 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 suggest to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram tales, saying he was not answerable for the balloon popping.

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

Cloud 9, an occasion planning firm, also deflected duty 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 always do. We're by no means in control of eradicating balloon decorations," the statement read in part.

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

"I was pretty upset about it, that is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna said. "I used to be right here after they were setting them up and then initially I didn't actually suppose much of it however I assume because the day was executed and so they began popping away and letting them all go into the water I used to be shocked."

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

"I discussed to them,' are you guys serious, is that this one thing you are going to do right now?' [They] type of simply blew me off, ignored me," Bruna said. "It was horrifying to see what they had been 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 Commission stated balloons will be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to internal injury, hunger, and demise.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.