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

A person has been arrested after cellphone video captured what appeared to be a number of 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 "delight ourselves on defending and spreading consciousness on the gorgeous waters we get to call residence," was shot simply 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 have been ignored they usually continued popping away with no care in the world," 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 stated Wednesday night time that they arrested one man and handed out 9 civil citations.

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

“As a community, we share the accountability to protect our surroundings," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in an announcement. "I am extraordinarily 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 stories, saying he was not answerable for the balloon popping.

"First off, I wish to put my coronary heart out and say how important it is to protect the environment," he said.

Cloud Nine, an event planning company, also deflected duty in a statement on Instagram.

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

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

"I used to be fairly upset about it, this is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna stated. "I used to be right here once they had been setting them up after which initially I did not really suppose much of it however I suppose as the day was achieved and they began popping away and letting all of them go into the water I was shocked."

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

"I discussed to them,' are you guys critical, is this one thing you're going to do proper now?' [They] sort 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."

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee stated balloons might be mistaken for food by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can result in inside injury, hunger, and loss of life.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.