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 near a Coconut Grove marina on Tuesday.

The video posted by MMG Outboard Division, a group who says they "delight ourselves on protecting 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 were ignored and they continued popping away with no care in the world," the group posted of their message.

Miami-Dade police have made an arrest after cellphone video surfaced of people on a ship 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 environment.

“As a community, we share the accountability to protect the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in a statement. "I'm extremely pleased with 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 might propose 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 coronary heart out and say how vital it is to protect the environment," he said.

Cloud Nine, an event planning company, also deflected responsibility in a statement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor embellished the boat and left. We decorated the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we always do. We're by no means accountable for removing balloon decorations," the statement learn in part.

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

"I used to be fairly upset about it, this is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna mentioned. "I was right here when they had been setting them up and then initially I didn't actually suppose a lot of it but I suppose as the day was carried out they usually started popping away and letting all of them go into the water I was shocked."

One witness said the balloons might have been a part of a marriage proposal. Bruna said he confronted the folks.

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys severe, is this one thing you're 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 these balloons into the water."

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee said balloons will be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can result in inside injury, starvation, and dying.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.