Dad: Family Thought Boy Was Aboard Balloon

Missing 6-year-old Feared Lost in Aircraft Was Found in Garage Attic

(CBS/AP)  Last updated 7:48 p.m. ET

The father of a 6-year-old boy feared floating away aboard a homemade balloon held his son in his arms as he spoke to reporters after the child was found hiding in the garage.

The boy's father, Richard Heene, said the family was tinkering with the balloon Thursday and that he scolded Falcon for getting inside a compartment on the craft. He said Falcon's brother had seen him inside the compartment before it took off and that's why they thought he was in there when it launched.

But the boy fled to the attic at some point after the scolding and was never in the balloon during its two-hour, 50-mile journey through two counties. "I yelled at him. I'm really sorry I yelled at him," Heene said as he hugged his son during a news conference.

Photos: The "Balloon Boy" Incident

"I was in the attic and he scared me because he yelled at me," Falcon said. "That's why I went in the attic."

Richard Heene adamantly denied the notion that the whole thing was a big publicity stunt. "That's horrible after the crap we just went through. No."

It was not immediately clear if the launch was accidental.

The giant silvery helium balloon floated away from the family's yard late Thursday morning, sparking a frantic rescue operation.

The flying saucer-like craft, shown live on television nationwide, tipped precariously at times before gliding to the ground in a field.

With the child nowhere in sight, investigators searched the balloon's path. Several people reported seeing something fall from the craft while it was in the air, and yellow crime-scene tape was placed around the home.

It was not clear why the boy's brother reported seeing Falcon getting into the balloon.

Kevin Kuretich, of the Colorado Division of Emergency Management, said the craft had some kind of electric power unit which was run by double-C batteries. He said the balloon did seem to be big enough to carry a 6-year-old.

Jason Humbert saw the balloon land. He said he had gotten a call from his mother in Texas who told him about the balloon. He said he was in a field checking on an oil well when he found himself surrounded by police who had been chasing the balloon, which came to a rest 12 miles northeast of Denver International Airport.

"It looked like an alien spaceship you see in those old, old movies. You know, those black-and-white ones. I came down softly. I asked a police officer if the boy was OK and he said there was no one in it," Humbert said.

Neighbor Bob Licko, 65, said he was leaving home when he heard commotion in the backyard of the family. He said he saw two boys on the roof with a camera, commenting about their brother.

"One of the boys yelled to me that his brother was way up in the air," Licko said.

Licko said the boy's mother seemed distraught and that the boy's father was running around the house. The Poudre School District in Fort Collins, where the boys attend, did not have classes for elementary schools Thursday because of a teacher work day.

In a 2007 interview with The Denver Post, Richard Heene described becoming a storm chaser after a tornado ripped off a roof where he was working as a contractor and said he once flew a plane around Hurricane Wilma's perimeter in 2005.

Pursuing bad weather was a family activity with the children coming along as the father sought evidence to prove his theory that rotating storms create their own magnetic fields.

The Family behind "Balloon Boy" Story

Although Richard said he has no specialized training, they had a computer tracking system in their car and a special motorcycle.

The Heene family appeared twice on the ABC reality show "Wife Swap," most recently in March.

"When the Heene family aren't chasing storms, they devote their time to scientific experiments that include looking for extraterrestrials and building a research-gathering flying saucer to send into the eye of the storm," it says.

CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy reports the Heene boys have several videos on YouTube.

While the balloon was airborne, Colorado Army National Guard sent a UH-58 Kiowa helicopter and was preparing to send a Black Hawk UH-60 to try to rescue the boy, possibly by lowering someone to the balloon. They also were working with pilots of ultralight aircraft on the possibility of putting weights on the homemade craft to weigh it down.

But the balloon landed on its own in a dirt field. Sheriff's deputies secured it to keep it in place, even tossing shovelfuls of dirt on one edge.

After the boy wasn't found, a Kiowa helicopter was being equipped with an infrared camera to fly at 1,000 feet and help search the area where something reportedly fell from the balloon, Army National Guard Capt. Michael Odgers said.

The episode led to a brief shutdown of northbound departures from one of the nation's busiest airports, said a controller at the Federal Aviation Administration's radar center in Longmont, Colo.

FAA canceled all northbound takeoffs between 1 p.m. and 1:15 p.m. MDT, said Lyle Burrington, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association representative at the center. The balloon was about 15 miles northwest of the airport at that time.

Before the departure shutdown, controllers had been vectoring planes taking off in that direction away from the balloon, Burrington said.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown said the agency tracked the balloon through reports from pilots.

Neighbor Lisa Eklund, who took a photo of the balloon (left) shortly after it lifted off, described seeing the balloon pass.

"We were sitting eating, out looking where they normally shoot off hot air balloons. My husband said he saw something. It went over our rooftop. Then we saw the big round balloonish thing, it was spinning," she said.

"By the time I saw it, it traveled pretty fast," she said.

[mrbigo2u]

You all know why this became such a big story?Yes we all wanted to see the little tike find his way out the escape hatch for a little free fall huh?Maybe Billy Bob cruising his Cessna rip the balloon to pieces trying to get that perfect shot for the Enquierer.Nothing a pellet gun wouldnt have took care of during take off maybe???

[rablady]

Media ****** don't exist in a vacuum. Why is no one criticizing the segments of society that encouage people like Heene? ..the TV "news" ;)media CRAVES drama, conflict and abnormal behavior and they've virtually given up on in-depth research and investigation and serious reporting. Too few viewers complain and settle for the sensationalized crap-story.

Then there are the vile producers of reality TV shows like the "Wife Swap" that seek out unstable individuals and exploit them and even try to provoke bizarre inappropriate behavior because it's more "entertaining" ... what a contemptible way to make a living... preying on the sick and deranged!

And last we have the couch potato Toms and Thomasinas who consume reality TV shows...dully sitting on their butts peeping at strangers on screen watching other people's lives because the Peepers are too lazy or passive to bother to LIVE that 1/2 hr themselves.

I'm not sure who the biggest creeps or losers are in this picture. The media and consumers of crap are BEGGING for the Richard Heenes. He just saw an opportunity and grabbed it. And if he's warped, he has a whole lot of disturbed and creepy company in our decadent society.

[Midwestchristian]

Based on the video alone, either the Dad is a fantastic actor or he was genuinely concerned for his son. However, it is also possible that he could have found his son in the middle of the media coverage and wanted to play it out until the balloon fell in order to not look stupid.

[potterbyran]

1st Im glad the boy is ok, 2nd, that woman that swaped family for the show, why would she do that? Or any woman for that matter? I use to watch the show WIFE SWAP. These mothers/wifes want to trade familys for to weeks, WHY?? I think their NUTS and STUPID!!

[tomrobla]

This is a thrill seeking publicity hunting family. Kids were raised in a reality tv and Youtube ("Look At Me") environment. Awful Dad. Kids are punks.

[tarnold777]

After seeing more on this story, its becoming more apparent that the father, Richard Heeney, is a psychotic prick. His tantrums on ABC's Wife Swap only makes me suspect he is orchestrating this event as a way back into the public eye. CPS should seriously demand he be psychologically evaluated. Video clips on FOX show him chasing tornados with three small boys sitting in the back seat. What a ******!!

[gocubs58]

Could someone explain to me why this is news?

[bobnjersey]

[Could someone explain to me why this is news?]

it doesn't happen every day in every town.

[pure-genius]

really? isnt NORAD just down the road? before we send out helicopters and searches, nobody could figure out that there wasnt enough volume of helium to lift the boy? what a crappy little scam, but sure hooked the national media. i guess 15 minutes of fame costs about as much as a home made helium balloon.

[watchdogtexas]

Who called the media.
Is law enforcement investigating if this is a fraud?

[newswatchinguser]

While watching the video it was easy to determine that the boy was never in the balloon. The way the balloon was floating and reacting in the air it was easy to determine nothing was in or attached to it. There would be no way that a weighted balloon of that size and construction could react that way. I can't believe so many people fell for this stunt.

[Braveheart729]

Clearly this is staged! Is the American public so pathetic that they buy this BS story and are amused? I'm ashamed! You "reporters"? should feel embarrassed to have to share this crap! The balloon obviously could not lift a lab rat let alone the kid, Get a large balloon, put the whole family in it and cut the tethers. call it helpful natural selection!

[mediamomma]

Hoax. They needed something new to put them back in the media spotlight. They got the attention with that WifeSwap show and decided they needed more attention. And I think that the family should be billed for all of the costs involved with the search & rescue, the FAA and the sheriff. And who calls the FAA before 911? Does the father not think that the officials who are paid to act in an emergency situation wouldn't know to contact them themselves? It was all a publicity stunt.

[socialserviceworker]

Although Falcon may be safe physically I fear he is in danger emotionally from media seeking parent(s). What a sad story this is turning out to be. All I can say is from the mouths of babes. I hope this is investigated and that leaving the children in this family is definitely abusive.

Where do I apply for a job as "storm chaser"? How is the family
health coverage plan for that? Do you acrue sick time, and vacation
time, or does your actual job count as a "vacation".
How much retirement does a career like this, build up.
What a wonderful job. Would I automatically become a "hottie" after
taking the necessary training? These guys "Rock".
Uh-oh, got to go, Barf meter starting to "Red Line"..!

[Regats]

If Letterman had done this, he'd be on a whooooooooooole lot of trouble.

[armyoftwelve]

What do you call a stupid bass???

You call him Richard Heene.

[shy1smartgirl]

ITS ON TAPE, THE KID JUST ABOUT BLEW IT, LISTEN TO WHAT HE SAID TO HIS FATHER.

[busybee28]

What did he say to his father?? I missed it I guess!

[shy1smartgirl]

TURN IT OFF PLEASE. ENOUGH QUIT ENTERVIEWING THEM, I GUESS IT WAS THEM. BLA BLA BLA. LATER GUYS I AM SICK TO MY STOMACK SO I AM CHANGING THE CHANNEL, THIS IS STUPID, ENJOY THESE PHONIES IF YOU LIKE BUT THEY MAKE ME SICK, THIS IS A WASTE OF TIME AND I AM NOW CHANGING THE CHANNEL.
GOOD DAY TO YOU ALL..

[shy1smartgirl]

FREE PUBLICITY, THE KID ALLMOST MESSED IT UP. WHO LEAVES A 6 YEAR OLD FOR HOURS ALONE LIKE THAT. THEY ARE GETTING THE FREE PUBLICITY AND MAKING THIS STATION LOOK LIKE IDIOTS.

I CAN NOT BELIEVE THESE LIARS STORM CHASERS, I GUESS NOT ENOUGH BUSINESS THEY WANT A MOVIE DEAL LIKE THE ROCKET GUY.

THIS IS MAKING ME FEEL ILL, WHAT A JOKE, CBS YOU LOOK LIKE IDIOTS. THE KIDS BLEW IT ALLREADY WHERE IS SOCIAL SERVICES. THEY NEGLECT THERE CHILDREN AND HAVE NO IDEA WHERE THEY ARE.

TURN IT OFF.... WHAT FAKES

[45ford]

here's the sick thing about it. Fox News was using the situation to promulgate fear. They suggested the need to raise the terror alert level to red, and that the balloon may have been launched by terrorists and populated with the H1N1 virus or some biological or chemical agents. Fox News+Fear go together like PB+J.

[tarnold777]

I watch FOX and not once did I hear that angle. Gotta call BS if you can't link me to that story on their website

[John_Merritt]

I am not a genius when it comes to physics and aerodynamics but simple computations on my part told me from the very beginning that boy was not in flight. The sheer of the 'saucer' probably weighed approximately 80-90 pounds with stale helium in it. The craft was calculated at one time to be rated for 10,000 feet.

The sheer weight of a average 6 year old boy would be approximately 35-40 lbs. Based on that approximately 35% of the overall weight would be occupied by the boy, and they stated the balloon was at approximately at 10,000 feet as it was reported intially by the news crews that were following it. It would not be possible without generated helium or air being injected into the balloon.

The travel of the balloon was sideways and lopsided, and you could tell the helium/air was shifting out of whack and it was losing air as it was traveling. Hence it went 50 miles and than down it went. Anyway, I am glad there is a good ending to this story and I am just none of the rescuers were hurt in the attempt to rescue this young man.