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 group who says they "pride ourselves on defending and spreading consciousness on the beautiful waters we get to call home," was shot just after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Landing 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 have been ignored they usually continued popping away with no care on the planet," the group posted in their message.

Miami-Dade police have made an arrest after cellphone video surfaced of individuals on a ship popping balloons into the ocean. NBC 6's Jamie Guirola stories

Miami-Dade Police said Wednesday night 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 setting.

“As a neighborhood, we share the duty to protect our surroundings," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in a statement. "I am extraordinarily happy with our Unlawful Dumping Unit, for their 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 chargeable for the balloon popping.

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

Cloud Nine, an occasion planning company, also deflected duty in an announcement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor embellished the boat and left. We embellished the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we all the time do. We are never in command of removing balloon decorations," the assertion read in part.

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

"I was fairly upset about it, this is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna mentioned. "I was right here when they had been setting them up and then initially I did not really suppose much of it however I assume as 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 may have been a part of a wedding proposal. Bruna said he confronted the people.

"I discussed to them,' are you guys critical, is that this something you are going to do right now?' [They] type of just blew me off, ignored me," Bruna mentioned. "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."

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission stated balloons could be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can result in internal injury, hunger, and death.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.