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 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 group who says they "delight ourselves on protecting and spreading awareness on the attractive waters we get to call house," was shot just after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Touchdown Marina.

Two people onboard the boat are seen popping balloons and letting them fall into the water.

"As we handed them and expressed our disagreement, we had been 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 people on a boat popping balloons into the ocean. NBC 6's Jamie Guirola reviews

Miami-Dade Police stated 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 community, we share the accountability to guard the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez said in an announcement. "I'm extremely happy with our Unlawful Dumping Unit, for their thorough investigation and swift conclusion to this case."

David Torres-Bocanegra

Tom Rivas, who rented the boat so he may suggest to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram tales, saying he was not liable for the balloon popping.

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

Cloud Nine, an event planning company, additionally deflected responsibility in a press release on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor decorated the boat and left. We adorned 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 read in part.

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

"I was fairly upset about it, this is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna stated. "I was here once they were setting them up after which initially I didn't actually think much of it but I suppose as the day was achieved and so they started popping away and letting them all go into the water I used to be shocked."

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

"I discussed to them,' are you guys severe, is that this one thing you're going to do right now?' [They] type of simply 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 Fee stated balloons will be mistaken for food by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can result in inside injury, starvation, and loss of life.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.