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 "pleasure ourselves on protecting and spreading awareness on the gorgeous waters we get to name dwelling," was shot simply 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 passed them and expressed our disagreement, we were ignored they usually continued popping away with no care on the planet," the group posted in 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 mentioned Wednesday night 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 surroundings.

“As a group, we share the duty to protect the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez said in a press release. "I'm 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 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 coronary heart out and say how necessary it's to protect the environment," he mentioned.

Cloud 9, an event planning company, also deflected accountability in a press release on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor decorated the boat and left. We adorned the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we all the time do. We are never in charge of eradicating balloon decorations," the statement read partially.

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

"I used to be fairly upset about it, this is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna stated. "I used to be right here after they had been setting them up after which initially I didn't actually suppose much of it however I suppose as the day was completed they usually started popping away and letting all of them go into the water I used to be shocked."

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

"I discussed to them,' are you guys serious, is that this one thing you are going to do right now?' [They] form of just blew me off, ignored me," Bruna mentioned. "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 might be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can result in inner harm, starvation, and loss of life.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.