# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/41 "2009-10-15T19:40:50Z")
No kid in the balloon, they say. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/42 "2009-10-15T19:41:30Z")
A publicity stunt? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/43 "2009-10-15T19:41:34Z")
What a swizz. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Socks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a8b319/32.png) [@Captain\_Socks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Socks)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/44 "2009-10-15T19:41:44Z")
CNN says there is nobody in the balloon. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/45 "2009-10-15T19:43:59Z")
> [@Rebo](#): > > A publicity stunt? With a supposed six year old boy in a homemade hot-air balloon? Someone needs to be jack-slapped. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/46 "2009-10-15T19:45:36Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > With a supposed six year old boy in a homemade hot-air balloon? Someone needs to be jack-slapped. Yes, if so. Imagine if one of the helicopters crashed or an ambulance flipped over racing to the scene. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/47 "2009-10-15T19:48:18Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/48 "2009-10-15T19:50:50Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I doubt that it was a publicity stunt. The only thing (well, maybe not only) was that the father’s **first** (or one of his first) call(s) seems to have been to the television station to “ask them to help with their [camera equipped] helicopter.” Hmmmm. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/49 "2009-10-15T19:51:27Z")
Let’s not get too outraged over an implausible suggestion made on a message board. Nobody could have thought this would be good publicity for anything. [More details](http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Runaway+helium+balloon+crashes+passenger+found/2107075/story.html). ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/50 "2009-10-15T19:53:05Z")
> [@Huerta88](#): > > The only thing (well, maybe not only) was that the father’s **first** (or one of his first) call(s) seems to have been to the television station to “ask them to help with their [camera equipped] helicopter.” > > Hmmmm. People do weird shit when they are in distress. The first thing one of the Columbine shooter’s mom did when she found out that her son was involved was walk to the hair salon and cancel her appointment for later in the day. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/51 "2009-10-15T19:53:43Z")
> [@Huerta88](#): > > The only thing (well, maybe not only) was that the father’s **first** (or one of his first) call(s) seems to have been to the television station to “ask them to help with their [camera equipped] helicopter.” > > Hmmmm. He mobilized the people he knew would jump on watching his kid? Damn, what a horrible thing to do. But the dude is pretty nuts. Maybe his taste of fame on Wife Swap was to his liking. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/52 "2009-10-15T19:56:20Z")
I don’t see anything suspicious about calling for a helicopter, especially if the father already has connections to that television station from being a storm chaser. Getting a helicopter up there only makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/53 "2009-10-15T19:57:50Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I don’t see anything suspicious about calling for a helicopter, especially if the father already has connections to that television station from being a storm chaser. Getting a helicopter up there only makes sense. Well, I hope it’s a hoax, almost, because . . . . ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/54 "2009-10-15T19:58:22Z")
Mmmm. this isn’t turning out as cute as it started, is it. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/55 "2009-10-15T19:58:35Z")
> [@Huert88](#): > > Well, I hope it’s a hoax, almost, because . . . . I know. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/56 "2009-10-15T20:00:48Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > Well, the outlook is starting to look grim. Maybe a passing mod could change the title of the thread to remove the “my new hero” beginning. Done. twickster, MPSIMS moderator, who’s praying like mad for the little guy ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/57 "2009-10-15T20:02:28Z")
If you are a news network and you’re covering the “six year old flies away in a balloon” story, the first thing you ought to know is whether or not the kid is even in the balloon. And it should not be taking this long to figure out if the kid is at his house or not. I hope the kid’s okay, and as a bonus, if he was never in the balloon, you can imagine the field day The Daily Show is going to have with this. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/58 "2009-10-15T20:04:03Z")
Unless he was in the balloon, then he fell out along the way. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/59 "2009-10-15T20:04:25Z")
Hm, metafilter. com /85861 /UP#2782136 this is a really good post just up over on Metafilter. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/60 "2009-10-15T20:07:02Z")
best case is he went to hide real quick so as to not get in trouble after letting the balloon loose [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940.md?page=4)