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 bunch who says they "pride ourselves on protecting and spreading consciousness on the gorgeous waters we get to call dwelling," was shot simply 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 were ignored they usually continued popping away with no care on the earth," 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 9 civil citations.

The man was recognized as 29-year-old David Torres-Bocanegra. He was charged with reckless disregard for the atmosphere.

“As a community, we share the responsibility to guard the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez said in an announcement. "I am extraordinarily pleased with our Unlawful 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 could suggest to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram stories, saying he was not chargeable for the balloon popping.

"First off, I want to put my coronary heart out and say how vital it's to guard our environment," he stated.

Cloud 9, an event planning company, also deflected accountability in an announcement 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 answerable for eradicating balloon decorations," the statement learn partly.

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

"I was fairly upset about it, that is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna said. "I used to be right here when they had been setting them up and then initially I did not really think much of it however I assume as the day was done and they started popping away and letting all of them go into the water I used to be shocked."

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

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys severe, is that this something you're going to do right now?' [They] kind of simply blew me off, ignored me," Bruna mentioned. "It was horrifying to see what they were doing to the marine life and the waterways by simply dumping all of those balloons into the water."

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee mentioned balloons could be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to inside damage, starvation, and death.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.