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 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 "pleasure ourselves on defending and spreading awareness on the beautiful waters we get to name dwelling," 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 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 stories

Miami-Dade Police said Wednesday night time 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 responsibility to guard our environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez mentioned in an announcement. "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 accountable for the balloon popping.

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

Cloud 9, an event planning company, additionally deflected accountability in a statement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor embellished the boat and left. We decorated the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we always do. We are never in control of removing balloon decorations," the assertion read partially.

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

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

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

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

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission mentioned balloons could be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can result in internal harm, hunger, and dying.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.