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 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 gaggle who says they "pride ourselves on protecting and spreading awareness on the beautiful waters we get to call home," was shot just after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Landing 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 in the world," 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 reviews

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

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

“As a neighborhood, we share the responsibility to protect our environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez said in a press release. "I am extremely happy 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 may propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram stories, saying he was not accountable for the balloon popping.

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

Cloud Nine, an occasion planning company, also deflected accountability in an announcement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor adorned the boat and left. We decorated the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we always do. We are by no means in command of eradicating balloon decorations," the statement learn in part.

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

"I used to be pretty upset about it, that is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna said. "I was right here after they were setting them up and then initially I did not really assume a lot of it but I suppose as the day was completed and they started popping away and letting them all 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 discussed to them,' are you guys serious, is that this something you are going to do right now?' [They] sort of just 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 those balloons into the water."

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

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.