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 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 group who says they "delight ourselves on protecting and spreading consciousness on the beautiful 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 and so they continued popping away with no care on the planet," the group posted of 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 experiences

Miami-Dade Police said Wednesday night 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 environment.

“As a group, we share the duty to protect our environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in an announcement. "I am 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 suggest to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram stories, saying he was not responsible for the balloon popping.

"First off, I want to put my heart out and say how necessary it's to protect the environment," he stated.

Cloud Nine, an event planning firm, additionally deflected duty in a press release on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor adorned the boat and left. We decorated the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we always do. We are never answerable for eradicating balloon decorations," the statement read in part.

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

"I was pretty upset about it, that is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna mentioned. "I was right here after they were setting them up after which initially I did not actually think a lot of it however I suppose because the day was performed and so they started popping away and letting all of them go into the water I was shocked."

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

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys severe, is this one thing you're going to do proper now?' [They] type of just blew me off, ignored me," Bruna stated. "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 mentioned balloons will be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to inside injury, starvation, and death.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.