News & Politics - Boy Floats Away In Balloon - Frantic Search Underway

**vc318** · 10-15-2009, 12:00 PM

Boy Floats Away In Balloon - Denver News Story - KMGH Denver

Boy Floats Away In Balloon - Frantic Search Under Way To Find Boy

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- A 6-year-old boy is floating over northeastern Colorado in a homebuilt balloon and authorities are racing to try and rescue him.

The balloon, in the shape of a flying saucer is covered in foil and filled with helium. It has a compartment for a passenger underneath. It lifted the boy into the air near Fort Collins Thursday morning after the balloon became untethered at the boy's home.

The father and son had apparently been working on the aircraft for some time.

Fort Collins police and other authorities have been alerted and Airtracker 7 has launched in an effort to locate the boy.

Airtracker 7 located the craft at 12:35 p.m. at about 8,000 feet in Weld County. It appeared to be slightly tilted.

Skies in the area are partly cloudy and southwest wind speeds are 15 to 20 miles per hour.

"It is believed the device could rise to 10,000 feet," said Eloise Campanella, Larimer County Sheriff's Officer spokeswoman.

"The structure at the bottom of the balloon that the boy is in is made of extremely thin plywood and won't withstand any kind of a crash at all," said Erik Nilsson, Larimer County Emergency Manager.

Deputies from Larimer and Weld counties are tracking the balloon as it drifts.

FAA spokesman Mike Fergus said the agency has been notified and it was unclear whether traffic controllers had picked it up on radar.

The balloon may drift into air traffic control corridors used by Denver International Airport, based on its current location and direction.

What a scary thing to happened to a child! I don't know how authorities are going to be able to bring this balloon down without endangering the little boy.

**vc318** · 10-15-2009, 12:41 PM

The balloon has come down but the boy was not found inside!!!

Oh my gosh.

free2live · 10-15-2009, 01:00 PM

I'm watching CNN. They said they're hoping the boy was not in the balloon before it took off, since the basket is contained and it did not appear broken or breached. fingers crossed!

ETA: A hot air balloon expert just said that he thinks that it is unlikely that balloon had enough helium to lift the child. But where is he?.

**JustMe2000** · 10-15-2009, 03:32 PM

He was hiding in the attic all along.

collide · 10-15-2009, 03:37 PM

I was worried about this boy for the better part of THREE hours.....and we was in the attic all along.

Just glad he is okay!

free2live · 10-15-2009, 03:43 PM

*facepalm*

At least he's ok.

**JustMe2000** · 10-15-2009, 03:46 PM

I guess the first question to ask is, didn't anyone think to look in the attic?

Glad to hear he's okay, though.

**vc318** · 10-15-2009, 06:15 PM

I remember this family when they appeared on Wife Swap and the father confessed to being verbally abusive to his wife. So, the fact that the boy hid in the attic because he was scared doesn't surprise me. I'm glad the boy is okay but seriously, this could've turned into a really bad situation.

**NikNak** · 10-15-2009, 09:26 PM

It really could have.

Glad he's okay.

Avatar · 10-16-2009, 10:00 AM

Was this whole thing an elaborate hoax?

Falcon: "You guys said that, um, we did this for the show."

**NikNak** · 10-16-2009, 04:20 PM

Really? Hmm.

**three little birds** · 10-16-2009, 09:56 PM

I heard about this after the balloon landed.

I am convinced it's a hoax and was set up all along. Why else would the boy say they did it for the show?? And then his parents are like "What?" "No, no, no".

Total set up.

**vc318** · 10-18-2009, 03:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Avatar (View Post)

Was this whole thing an elaborate hoax?

Falcon: "You guys said that, um, we did this for the show."

That's what I'm hearing as well. Quite frankly, with as crazy as I hear that this family is, it wouldn't surprise me that the whole thing was a lie. My sister swears that the boy was over at Chuck E. Cheese while the whole fiasco was going on television.

**vc318** · 10-18-2009, 03:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Avatar (View Post)

Was this whole thing an elaborate hoax?

Falcon: "You guys said that, um, we did this for the show."

That's what I'm hearing as well. Quite frankly, with as crazy as i hear that this family is, it wouldn't surprise me that the whole thing was a lie. My sister swears that the boy was over at Chuck E. Cheese while the whole fiasco was going on television.

Avatar · 10-18-2009, 11:15 AM

Some people...:

Quote:

(CNN) -- Three days after the world watched a giant balloon fly through the air and a tearful family express fears that their 6-year-old boy could be inside, authorities announced what millions already suspected: The whole thing was staged.

It was carried out by a couple who met "in acting school in Hollywood" and "put on a very good show for us," said Sheriff Jim Alderden of Larimer County. Authorities know there was "a conspiracy" between Richard and Mayumi Heene, he said.

"It has been determined that this is a hoax," he said. "We believe we have evidence at this point that it was a publicity stunt."

More here: 'Balloon boy' incident was 'hoax,' sheriff says - CNN.com