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 bunch who says they "delight ourselves on protecting and spreading consciousness on the gorgeous waters we get to name house," was shot just after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Touchdown Marina.

Two folks 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 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 ship popping balloons into the ocean. NBC 6's Jamie Guirola stories

Miami-Dade Police said Wednesday night 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 neighborhood, we share the accountability to guard our surroundings," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in an announcement. "I am extremely happy 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 propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram tales, saying he was not chargeable for the balloon popping.

"First off, I wish to put my coronary heart out and say how vital it is to guard our surroundings," he stated.

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

"Our balloon vendor decorated the boat and left. We decorated the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we at all times do. We are by no means in charge of removing balloon decorations," the statement learn partly.

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

"I used to be fairly upset about it, this is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna said. "I was right here once they were setting them up after which initially I did not really suppose a lot of it however I suppose because the day was executed and they began popping away and letting them all go into the water I was shocked."

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

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys critical, is that this one thing you're going to do proper now?' [They] sort of simply 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 simply dumping all of these balloons into the water."

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee stated balloons may be mistaken for food by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can result in internal harm, hunger, and loss of life.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.