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 near a Coconut Grove marina on Tuesday.

The video posted by MMG Outboard Division, a group who says they "satisfaction ourselves on protecting and spreading awareness on the beautiful waters we get to call house," was shot just after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Touchdown Marina.

Two people 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 and they 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 people on a boat popping balloons into the ocean. NBC 6's Jamie Guirola stories

Miami-Dade Police stated 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 atmosphere.

“As a group, we share the duty to guard our surroundings," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez said in an announcement. "I am extremely proud of our Unlawful Dumping Unit, for their thorough investigation and swift conclusion to this case."

David Torres-Bocanegra

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

"First off, I need to put my heart out and say how essential it's to protect our environment," he mentioned.

Cloud 9, an event planning firm, also deflected duty in an announcement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor decorated the boat and left. We embellished the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we at all times do. We are never in charge of removing balloon decorations," the assertion read 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 here when they had been setting them up and then initially I didn't really think a lot of it but I guess because the day was completed and they began popping away and letting all of them go into the water I was shocked."

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

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys serious, is this something you are going to do proper now?' [They] sort of just 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 simply dumping all of these balloons into the water."

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said balloons may be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can result in inside harm, hunger, and demise.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.