# Scary stuff: the boy in the balloon **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 15, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940 "2009-10-15T18:58:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/221 "2009-10-16T20:55:39Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > The dad’s reaction after the kid was all, “You said we did this for the show” seems pretty suspect. Plus the fact that afterward, they pretty much refused to ask the kid any more questions and the dad getting all defensive even though Wolf Blitzer was just asking for a clarification seems odd. Oh, and Falcon getting sick when asked the question again. It could be innocent, but all of this, coupled with the family’s apparent love of publicity (the youtube video, being on Wife Swap twice) just makes me think that something is very off. Yeah, I agree, and this is just my opinion, and I won’t go into a debate about it, but I think the parents are Media Whores. No amount of preparation for a lie that you try to give to a 6 year old kid will stand up very long under basic questioning. They got a taste of the lime light and loved it, and are heavily in debt. You do the math. The father just does not seem like a sympathetic person from my point of view. I would not buy a used car from this man. (my appologies to car sales persons everwhere). I am not throwing stones at glass houses, but the whole damn thing seems very odd. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/222 "2009-10-16T21:18:15Z")
Creepier and creepier: [http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ikk06jG\_Fh671id4g5JjNK1fpkrwD9BCDKO01](http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ikk06jG_Fh671id4g5JjNK1fpkrwD9BCDKO01) > [@](#): > > A Colorado sheriff’s deputy responded to a 911 hang-up in February at the home of a family now known for reporting that their young son was in a balloon that got away. > > The Larimer County Sheriff’s deputy who went to the home said he heard a man yelling and, once inside, noticed Mayumi Heene had a mark on her cheek and broken blood vessels in her eye. She said it was because of a problem with her contacts. I feel really bad for the kids living in this home. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/223 "2009-10-16T22:32:40Z")
Who the hell keeps their kid on their lap while they are puking on TV? And then the Mom has a container that she reaches across to position under his dripping mouth and wipes him off? WTF? I would have jumped up picked up the kid and escorted him away from everyone. Obviously has the flu or something. :smack: And when Dad asked him why didn’t he come out of his hiding place and he said it was because of the show, Mom said No uh uh, notice how the older boys whipped their heads around to stare at her? as if to indicate to Mom that’s the story they were told. :dubious::dubious::dubious::dubious::dubious::dubious::dubious::dubious::dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/224 "2009-10-17T01:14:09Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I doubt that it was a publicity stunt. > > The kid was either never in the balloon, although a sibling reported that he was when it took off, or he’s a splat in a field somewhere and it happened early on. He may have panicked and jumped out or just fell out of the rickety basket. The rickety basket was never attached. What touched down was the same as what took off according to the video the family made of the launch. And watching the video bent my bullshit meter. It didn’t look like it was buoyant enough to lift a child. It also didn’t look remotely sturdy enough for his storm chasing fantasies. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/225 "2009-10-17T01:29:20Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > The rickety basket was never attached. What touched down was the same as what took off according to the video the family made of the launch. And watching the video bent my bullshit meter. It didn’t look like it was buoyant enough to lift a child. It also didn’t look remotely sturdy enough for his storm chasing fantasies. It seems to me that the balloon looks like it worked perfectly for its intended purpose, namely getting this attention-whore family back on the teevee for an additional 15 min. of “fame”… ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/226 "2009-10-17T19:49:04Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > The last time the nation was truly at a standstill was Sept. 11, 2001. Actually, I went to work that day and most of the people I work with were there also, and it’s not like we were providing any kind of critical service – we just had no particular reason not to be there. True we spent a lot of time talking about events and the boss did end up encouraging us all to leave early, but we did get some work done and it’s an exaggeration to say the nation stood still. There were certainly other cars on the freeway on the way home. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/227 "2009-10-17T20:02:54Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I don’t know exactly what time this story breathlessly broke, but as soon as CNN started backtracking with ‘boy _apparently_ in hot air balloon over Colorado,’ I was pretty sure I knew where this was headed. OK, I wasn’t watching CNN. Maybe they didn’t do a good job as local reporters who did make it clear they did not know for a fact that the boy was in the balloon. I don’t see why they should have been expected to suppress the information that emergency services were operating as if he was. > [@panache45](#): > > I have a hard time believing that the father is any kind of scientist. He’s a [psyientist](http://www.youtube.com/user/YouTubianAwards#p/a/u/1/u-6S0OMkiTE) (YouTube video). ---
**Author:** ![pharris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f1d935/32.png) [@pharris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pharris)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/228 "2009-10-18T00:32:44Z")
Why is no one in the media questioning the fact that a balloon that small, filled only with helium, could have possibly managed to get a child that large up off the ground even an inch, much less fly him for fifty miles? For heaven’s sake, I would think it’s just common sense as a human to have a sense of perspective about buoyancy – am I wrong? Even on MythBusters (a great, if obvious show) it took them an airplane-hanger full of helium balloons just get a five-pound toddler off the ground three inches. I do not know why I am obsessed with this story! Blergh! Thanks for letting me indulge. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/229 "2009-10-18T00:36:06Z")
> [@pharris](#): > > Why is no one in the media questioning the fact that a balloon that small, filled only with helium, could have possibly managed to get a child that large up off the ground even an inch, much less fly him for fifty miles? > > For heaven’s sake, I would think it’s just common sense as a human to have a sense of perspective about buoyancy – am I wrong? > > Even on MythBusters (a great, if obvious show) it took them an airplane-hanger full of helium balloons just get a five-pound toddler off the ground three inches. > > I do not know why I am obsessed with this story! Blergh! Thanks for letting me indulge. Consensus in the [GQ](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=536094) thread was that a balloon that size would have lifted the kid without much problem. Whether the payload would have stayed attached to the balloon for very long is another question, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/230 "2009-10-18T00:53:36Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > OK, I wasn’t watching CNN. Maybe they didn’t do a good job as local reporters who did make it clear they did not know for a fact that the boy was in the balloon. I don’t see why they should have been expected to suppress the information that emergency services were operating as if he was. > He’s a [psyientist](http://www.youtube.com/user/YouTubianAwards#p/a/u/1/u-6S0OMkiTE) (YouTube video). OMG, this guy is a complete loon. And by complete loon I mean he should BE under a doctor’s care. He is espousing life on Mars from NASA photos… I see a head… This is definitely a bone… This looks like fur, and this looks like a pigs snout… I didn’t mention this earlier but after viewing all his science projects with his kids I thought he reminded me of the various “Mr Science” shows. According to [this guy](http://gawker.com/5383858/exclusive-i-helped-richard-heene-plan-a-balloon-hoax)the balloon incident was a stunt for a possible show. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/231 "2009-10-18T01:25:42Z")
BREAKING NEWS just now on BBC: They said according to _The Denver Post_, criminal charges were about to be filed in the incident and that search warrants were being prepared so they could enter the family’s house. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/232 "2009-10-18T01:45:06Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Consensus in the [GQ](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=536094) thread was that a balloon that size would have lifted the kid without much problem. Whether the payload would have stayed attached to the balloon for very long is another question, of course. Oh really? That certainly wasn’t _my_ conclusion. Nor did I see where that was a “consensus” in that thread. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/233 "2009-10-18T02:00:18Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > BREAKING NEWS just now on BBC: They said according to _The Denver Post_, criminal charges were about to be filed in the incident and that search warrants were being prepared so they could enter the family’s house. Same reported on CNN. About darn time. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/234 "2009-10-18T02:06:34Z")
> [@pharris](#): > > For heaven’s sake, I would think it’s just common sense as a human to have a sense of perspective about buoyancy – am I wrong? > > Even on MythBusters (a great, if obvious show) it took them an airplane-hanger full of helium balloons just get a five-pound toddler off the ground three inches. Well, you’re clearly wrong about the weight of toddlers. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/235 "2009-10-18T02:07:44Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Oh really? That certainly wasn’t _my_ conclusion. Nor did I see where that was a “consensus” in that thread. I was only indicating the existence of the GQ thread and providing a brief summary of the posts in it, not trying to make some kind of definitive statement about who was right. My apologies if I came off that way. When I originally read the thread yesterday, it was prior to your post and the ensuing debate. ---
**Author:** ![pharris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f1d935/32.png) [@pharris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pharris)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/236 "2009-10-18T03:02:15Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Consensus in the [GQ](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=536094) thread was that a balloon that size would have lifted the kid without much problem. Whether the payload would have stayed attached to the balloon for very long is another question, of course. Well that’s just nuts. I’m smarter – I watch the Discovery Channel! Please someone come turn off my tv and computer since I am too pop-culture crazed to do it myself. I should have learned way back with O.J. Blergh. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/237 "2009-10-18T03:22:40Z")
Here is what would be interesting. I hope they do something like this. A team takes this guys balloon, plays with it, inflates it, handles it, launches it, and then determines if any person with an ounce of sense could possibly think it could remotely carry a kid away. I mean, shit, techically I could claim a single party balloon might carry my rug rat off and I had good reason to call 911, but nobody would buy it. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/238 "2009-10-18T03:58:14Z")
_Denver Post_ link [here](http://www.denverpost.com/ci_13584589). \*\*"The sheriff did not give specifics, but he said the charges would likely be a class 3 misdemeanor. False reporting is a Class 3 misdemeanor. “[Sheriff] Alderson said that the misdemeanor charges “hardly seem serious enough” and that he would be talking to the district attorney and federal officials, including the Federal Aviation Administration, to see what other charges could be considered.”\*\* (Looks like “Alderson” should have been spelled “Alderden” like earlier in the story.) ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/239 "2009-10-18T04:20:44Z")
I hope the FAA weighs in on this considering it affected the routing of aircraft into Denver. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/240 "2009-10-18T04:29:32Z")
I wonder if Roswell was also the work of a six-year-old boy and an idiot father. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940.md?page=13)