The Peculiar Truth about the Boy in the Runaway Balloon

• October 15, 2009: CNN cut away from a mid-afternoon presidential meeting to announce breaking news. High above Fort Collins, Colorado a large weather balloon was sailing away with the breeze. That in itself wasn’t newsworthy. But the news anchor revealed something shocking. The uncontrolled balloon had a passenger - a six-year-old boy named Falcon Heene.

• For the next 90 minutes, Americans were fixated on the live video images of a runaway balloon high in the sky carrying an endangered child.

• Airplanes to and from Denver Airport were rerouted. Helicopters were dispatched. News crews trained cameras on the balloon as it climbed up to 7,000 feet above sea level. Nerves were taut in anticipation of rescuing the boy inside. Was he conscious? Was he alive?

• The child’s father, Richard Heene, claimed to be a storm chaser and amateur meteorologist. He kept a weather balloon inflated and tethered to his yard. It was silver, measured 20 feet long, and was designed to look like a flying saucer.

• That morning, Heene saw that the balloon had come loose from its tether and was sailing off. That was when one of his sons told him that Falcon had climbed into the gondola and was aboard the wayward balloon.

• Any parent would have been terrified and immediately contacted the authorities. Instead, Richard Heene’s first call was to the local TV news.

• After that, he phoned 911 to report the incident but made no mention of his child at all. Instead, he warned that the balloon “emits a million volts” of electricity… which made no sense.

• Richard Heene and his Japanese-born wife Mayumi were no strangers to publicity. They had met in Los Angeles in the 90s where both attended acting school. Heene was a Jack of All Trades and Master of None; a handyman, a failed standup comedian, an actor, and a would-be weather scientist. He and Mayumi were featured on the reality TV series Wife Swap - twice. On one of the episodes, Heene discussed his belief that mankind descended from extraterrestrial beings.

• Local TV news began airing live footage of the balloon in the sky. CNN then picked up the feed.

• Although images were distant and a bit grainy, and because the balloon was traveling amok on the wind, it was difficult to see the tiny gondola. No head or waving hand popped into the open.

• Then something fell from the balloon. Was it the boy? Not likely as it seemed too small but hard to say.

• After sailing for 60 miles over two hours, the balloon finally touched down on the ground not far from Denver International Airport.

• Young Falcon was not found. Had he fallen out of the gondola from a great height? A search-and-rescue mission commenced but there was no sign of the boy. So, where was he?

• As it turned out, he was at home hiding in the family garage. As per his parents’ instructions.

• Falcon accidentally gave away the scheme when CNN interviewed him later that night. When asked by Wolf Blitzer why he stayed hidden despite people calling for him, Falcon turned to his parents and said, “Um … you guys said … that, um … we did this for the show.”

• The Heenes had concocted a publicity stunt.

• In truth, Richard Heene’s balloon was an amateurish rig. He had constructed it from used tarps, covered with aluminum foil, and held together with duct tape. The so-called gondola was nothing more than a wooden box tied and taped to the helium-filled balloon. There appeared to be no obvious way to climb in or out of it.

• The entire incident - which ended up costing taxpayers roughly $40,000 for the unnecessary rescue mission - was deemed a hoax.

• Authorities arrested the Heenes.They were charged with felonies. After Mayumi was threatened with deportation, the couple both pleaded guilty. Both spent time in jail.

• But the Heenes recanted their pleas years later, claiming that they never perpetrated any hoax. They really believed at the time that their son might have been aboard that slapdash weather balloon - even though written evidence showed they planned it all along.

• In the end, the Balloon Boy story highlighted the knee-jerk reactionary nature of the 24-hour news cycle, America’s wanton obsession with fame, and how easily cable news - and the general public - can be manipulated.

  ALSO:

• Falcon and his two brothers continued to get mileage from their story. In 2015, they formed a metal band called Heene Boyz.

• One of their original tunes is titled Balloon Boy No Hoax.