Balloon boy hoax
An editor has nominated this article for deletion. You are welcome to participate in the deletion discussion, which will decide whether or not to retain it. |
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
The Colorado balloon UFO incident took place on October 15, 2009 and attracted world-wide attention[1][2] when six-year-old Falcon Heene from Fort Collins, Colorado (referred to as "Balloon Boy" by some media outlets[3]) was thought to be travelling at altitudes reaching 15,000 feet[4] in a home-made helium balloon colored and shaped to resemble a silver flying saucer-type of UFO.[5][6][7][8] The Heene family is known for storm chasing as well as being on two episodes on Wife Swap. The boy had reportedly climbed into the balloon when it became untethered and launched. It was reported that an object had detached from the balloon and fallen to the ground and the boy was not in the aircraft when it landed 12 miles northeast of Denver International Airport.[6] A search was conducted for the child and he was found hiding in a box in the attic of his house.[9] The boy later stated in a live interview that "[his family] did this for a show", adding weight to the speculation that the incident was a hoax and a publicity stunt.[10]
Search and discovery
Heene was first noticed missing when his sibling reportedly saw him climb into the basket of the balloon. The balloon came down northeast of Denver Internation Airport. The boy was not found inside the balloon. Officials expressed concern that he may have fallen out during flight. Margie Martinez of the Weld County Sheriff's Office said that the door was unlocked in the balloon. A sherriff deputy reported seeing something fall from the balloon near Platteville, Colorado and a photograph of the balloon in flight with a small black dot below seemed to suggest the boy may have fallen out or something had detached from the balloon.[11] There was also speculation that he may never have been in the balloon at all, and that he was hiding somewhere in his neighborhood.[12] Once the balloon touched down, it was reported that it did not appear breached.[13] Search crews in Colorado searched for the boy.[14] At approximately 4:14pm local time, the boy was found hiding in a cardboard box in his parent's attic over the garage.[15] Falcon's father said he had yelled at his son for meddling with the balloon, which was an experimental form of alternative transportation, capable of flying "50 or 100 feet" above traffic. [16]
Possible hoax
Several news agencies are questioning whether this was a hoax.[17][18] "Few had raised the issue of whether such a balloon could even lift off with a 50-pound kid inside, and then float the way it did."[19] However, a Colorado sheriff investigating the incident said it does not appear to be a hoax.[20] When Falcon and his family were being interviewed by Wolf Blitzer on Larry King Live he asked Falcon "Why did you not come out of the garage?" After his parents repeated the question, he responded by saying "You guys said that, um [pause] we did this for a show". [21]
References
- ^ "6-year-old Colorado boy found alive after setting loose balloon". CNN. 2009-10-15. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
- ^ "World watches odyssey of 'Balloon Boy' in real time".
- ^ Canada. "Balloon boy rescuers had few options". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
- ^ "Boy found safe after experimental balloon drifts off - KDVR". kdvr.com/news/. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
- ^ "Boy trapped in 'UFO-like balloon' floating over Colorado - Telegraph". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
- ^ a b Page 1 of 2 View as a single page Updated. "Missing 'balloon boy' found hiding in attic - World - NZ Herald News". Nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Fort Collins 'balloon boy' found alive; actually hiding in attic - Boulder Daily Camera". Dailycamera.com. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
- ^ "Falcon Heene: Balloon Boy, Wife Swap Son (PHOTOS, VIDEO, INFO)". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
- ^ 6:50 p.m. ET. "Runaway balloon chase: Boy found at home - Life- msnbc.com". MSNBC. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Balloon boy says 'we did this for a show'". news.com.au. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- ^ "Picture of falling object from balloon is ominous for Fort Collins Heene family".
- ^ http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/15/6-year-old-alone-in-hot-air-balloon-over-colorado/?hp
- ^ http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/15/colorado.boy.balloon/index.html
- ^ "Crews Launch Search Effort For Ft. Collins Boy".
- ^ "6-year-old Colorado boy found alive after setting loose balloon".
- ^ "Falcon Heene fuss all over 'hovercar' experiment". www.news.com.au. 2009-10-16. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- ^ "The Family behind the "Balloon Boy" Story".
- ^ "Was Balloon Boy Chase a Hoax?".
- ^ "'Boy in Balloon' Captivates Media: Balloon Lands And He's Not Inside--Hiding in Attic--Hoax?".
- ^ "Balloon aftermath...Recovery warning...Lindsay Lohan".
- ^ "Hoax fears after Falcon Heene hid 'for a show'".