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

A person 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 bunch who says they "delight ourselves on defending and spreading awareness on the gorgeous waters we get to name residence," was shot just after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Touchdown Marina.

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

"As we passed them and expressed our disagreement, we had been ignored and so they continued popping away with no care on this planet," 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 stories

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

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

“As a community, we share the responsibility to guard our surroundings," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez mentioned in an announcement. "I am extremely proud of our Illegal Dumping Unit, for their thorough investigation and swift conclusion to this case."

David Torres-Bocanegra

Tom Rivas, who rented the boat so he may 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 vital it's to protect our surroundings," he stated.

Cloud Nine, an event planning firm, also deflected accountability in a statement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor adorned the boat and left. We adorned the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we always do. We are by no means in command of removing balloon decorations," the statement read partly.

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

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

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

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

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission mentioned balloons might 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.