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 close to a Coconut Grove marina on Tuesday.

The video posted by MMG Outboard Division, a group who says they "satisfaction ourselves on defending and spreading awareness on the beautiful waters we get to name 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 and they 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 people on a ship popping balloons into the ocean. NBC 6's Jamie Guirola studies

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

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

“As a neighborhood, we share the accountability to guard our environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez said in a statement. "I'm extremely proud of 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 may 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 coronary heart out and say how vital it is to guard the environment," he stated.

Cloud 9, an event planning company, also deflected responsibility in a statement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor embellished the boat and left. We embellished the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we always do. We are never accountable for removing balloon decorations," the statement learn in part.

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

"I was pretty upset about it, that is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna mentioned. "I used to be here after they had been setting them up and then initially I didn't really suppose a lot of it however I assume because the day was achieved they usually began popping away and letting them all go into the water I was shocked."

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

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

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

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.