Arrest Made in Balloon Littering Investigation at Coconut Grove Marina – NBC 6 South Florida

A person has been arrested after cellphone video captured what gave the impression 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 bunch who says they "pleasure ourselves on protecting and spreading awareness on the gorgeous waters we get to call residence," was shot simply after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Landing Marina.

Two individuals 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 in the world," the group posted of 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 studies

Miami-Dade Police mentioned Wednesday night time that they arrested one man and handed out 9 civil citations.

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

“As a neighborhood, we share the duty to guard the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez said in a press release. "I'm extraordinarily proud of 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 tales, saying he was not accountable for the balloon popping.

"First off, I want to put my heart out and say how important it is to protect our surroundings," he said.

Cloud 9, an occasion planning company, also deflected duty in a press release on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor embellished the boat and left. We decorated the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we always do. We are never in charge of removing balloon decorations," the statement read in part.

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

"I was fairly upset about it, that is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna mentioned. "I was right here once they have been setting them up after which initially I did not really suppose much of it but I suppose because the day was carried out they usually started popping away and letting all of them go into the water I was shocked."

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

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

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said balloons might be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can result in internal injury, starvation, and demise.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.