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

A man has been arrested after cellphone video captured what gave the impression 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 consciousness on the gorgeous waters we get to name residence," was shot just 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 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 studies

Miami-Dade Police said Wednesday night time 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 community, we share the duty to guard the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in a statement. "I'm extraordinarily proud of our Unlawful 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 propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram stories, saying he was not accountable for the balloon popping.

"First off, I wish to put my heart out and say how important it's to guard our environment," he stated.

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

"Our balloon vendor adorned the boat and left. We embellished the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we always do. We're never in control 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 used to be here after they have been setting them up after which initially I didn't actually assume much of it but I suppose because the day was executed they usually started popping away and letting them all go into the water I used to be shocked."

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

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys critical, is that this one thing you are going to do right now?' [They] type 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 these balloons into the water."

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee stated balloons may be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to inside damage, starvation, and demise.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.