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 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 group who says they "pride ourselves on protecting and spreading consciousness on the gorgeous waters we get to call residence," was shot just after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Landing 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 had been ignored they usually continued popping away with no care on the earth," the group posted of their message.

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

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

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

“As a community, we share the duty to guard our environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez said in a statement. "I'm extraordinarily 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 may suggest to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram stories, saying he was not liable for the balloon popping.

"First off, I want to put my heart out and say how vital it is to guard our environment," he mentioned.

Cloud Nine, an event planning firm, additionally deflected responsibility in a statement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor adorned the boat and left. We embellished the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we all the time do. We are never in control of removing balloon decorations," the statement read partially.

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

"I used to be fairly upset about it, that is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna stated. "I was right here once they had been setting them up after which initially I did not actually think much of it but I guess as 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 may have been a part of a marriage proposal. Bruna stated he confronted the people.

"I discussed to them,' are you guys severe, is this something you're going to do right now?' [They] form of just 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 just dumping all of those balloons into the water."

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee stated balloons might be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to internal injury, starvation, and demise.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.