Balloon Boy Hoax

AP News in Brief
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 16, 2009
Filed at 6:09 a.m. ET

'Boy in Balloon' family at center of saga that caused national panic not afraid of spotlight

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) -- Richard Heene and his family have never been afraid of the spotlight as they made a name for themselves chasing down storms, starring in a reality TV show and experimenting with a series of unusual inventions including hovercraft, a weather-gathering flying saucer and a rocket launcher.

They found themselves at the center of yet another strange saga Thursday when 6-year-old Falcon Heene vanished around the time that a homemade helium balloon floated away from their home, setting off a national panic as authorities scoured the plains of northern Colorado for the youngster. As it turns out, he was hiding in the rafters of the family's garage the whole time.

The disappearance and sudden discovery of the boy have raised questions about whether it was all an elaborate attention-getting stunt orchestrated by the Heenes or simply a bizarre case of a child who ran away and hid after getting spooked by a scolding from his father.

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said authorities do not believe at this point if it was a hoax but he would meet with investigators Friday to decide whether to look into the matter further. Asked during an impromptu news conference outside his house whether the incident was a stunt, Richard Heene said: ''That's horrible. After the crap we just went through. No. No, no, no.''

It was five hours from the time the oldest boy reported that Falcon, the youngest, had climbed into a saucer-shaped balloon that had drifted off, setting off a search that included military helicopters and a plan to either lower a person to the craft of place weights on the balloon to bring it down. Officials rerouted planes around the balloon's flight path and briefly shut down Denver International Airport.

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"Balloon Boy" Not In Balloon. Found Alive at Home.

The guy from Colorado, who was regarded as driving alone in a balloon could reach 10,000 feet has been found alive. Earlier today, people watched news cameras follow a homemade-air balloon floating away, reportedly with the stow away boy, Falcon Heene, 6, inside.

The Heene family owns a saucer-shaped Mylar balloon, measuring 20 feet by 5 feet, which was tied down in their backyard in Ft Collins when it unanchored. Then the mad worry for the well being of Falcon began. Falcon was reported to be last seen by his older brother, 8, who said that Falcon was in the balloon.

The balloon left Colorado at air speeds as fast as 25 MPH. After more than one hour's travel of more than 50 miles, the balloon floated back down to the ground.. But nobody was inside.

News reports from the various outlets say that Falcon was recently discovered hidden in a box in the attic of his parents. He was hiding because he was afraid he would get in trouble, according to reports.

Falcon's family are "storm hunters" that are devoted to scientific experiment. She appeared on the television series "Wife Swap" with their three young sons. According to the website of Wife Swap, Richard and Mayumi Heene brought their children with them to chase Hurricane Gustav.