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 beautiful waters we get to call home," 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 handed them and expressed our disagreement, we have been ignored and so they 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 individuals on a ship popping balloons into the ocean. NBC 6's Jamie Guirola reviews

Miami-Dade Police mentioned Wednesday night 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 environment.

“As a community, we share the duty to protect the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in a press release. "I'm extraordinarily pleased 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 responsible for the balloon popping.

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

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

"Our balloon vendor decorated the boat and left. We adorned the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we always do. We are by no means in control of removing balloon decorations," the assertion 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 here when they have been setting them up after which initially I did not really suppose much of it but I assume because the day was accomplished and they started 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 wedding proposal. Bruna stated he confronted the individuals.

"I discussed 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 have been doing to the marine life and the waterways by just dumping all of those balloons into the water."

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission mentioned balloons can be mistaken for food by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to internal harm, hunger, and death.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.