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 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 gaggle who says they "satisfaction ourselves on protecting and spreading awareness on the beautiful waters we get to name dwelling," was shot simply after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Touchdown Marina.

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

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

Miami-Dade Police said 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 neighborhood, we share the accountability to protect our environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez said in an announcement. "I am extraordinarily 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 propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram tales, saying he was not accountable for the balloon popping.

"First off, I want to put my heart out and say how necessary it's to guard our environment," he mentioned.

Cloud 9, an event planning company, also deflected accountability in an announcement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor decorated the boat and left. We decorated the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we at all times do. We're by no means answerable for removing balloon decorations," the statement read in part.

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 said. "I used to be right here after they had been setting them up after which initially I did not really suppose a lot of it however I suppose because the day was achieved and they started 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 stated he confronted the people.

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

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission stated balloons could be mistaken for food by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can result in internal harm, starvation, and death.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.