Arrest Made in Balloon Littering Investigation at Coconut Grove Marina – NBC 6 South Florida

A person 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 close to 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 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 handed them and expressed our disagreement, we were ignored they usually continued popping away with no care on this planet," the group posted of their message.

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

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

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

“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 Illegal 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 might propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram tales, saying he was not responsible for the balloon popping.

"First off, I wish to put my heart out and say how important it's to guard our surroundings," he mentioned.

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

"Our balloon vendor decorated the boat and left. We embellished the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we always do. We're by no means answerable for removing balloon decorations," the statement read partially.

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

"I was pretty upset about it, this is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna mentioned. "I was here when they had been setting them up and then initially I did not really think a lot of it but I assume because the day was accomplished they usually started popping away and letting all of them go into the water I used to be shocked."

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

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys critical, is 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 just dumping all of these balloons into the water."

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission stated balloons may be mistaken for food by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can result in inner harm, hunger, and demise.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.