Oct 15 2009UPDATE: 6-Year Old (NOT) Floating Around In Homemade UFO Balloon
That's no 'Get Well' balloon, that's a 20' foil aircraft with a 6-year old boy inside, floating aimlessly 8,000 feet above eastern Colorado. Uh-oh.
The helium balloon was tethered to the boy's family home in Fort Collins, the Larimer County Sheriff's Department said. The boy got into the craft Thursday morning and undid the rope anchoring it.
Margie Martinez of the Weld County Sheriff's Office said a sibling saw the boy climb into the basket before the balloon took off. Since the door on the balloon was unlocked, Martinez said it's possible the boy had fallen out."The structure at the bottom of the balloon that the boy is in is made of extremely thin plywood and won't withstand any kind of a crash at all," said Erik Nilsson, Larimer County emergency manager, according to CNN affiliate KMGH.
Great, so he either fell out or won't survive the crash. Hooray for positive thinking. Come back down safely, balloon boy.
UPDATE: No boy when balloon landed. Not good.
UPDATE UPDATE: Falcon (the boy's actual name) was found hiding in a box in the garage attic (great search effort). This calls for celebration! (you hold him down, I'll tie on the fireworks)
6-year-old Colorado boy floats away in balloon [cnn]
Thanks to Jimmothy, stacy, jordana, dorothy, NICKSTER, rya, Jake, e.,The Superficial Writer, steven, Nigel, Valhalla, Lizzie, Noah and pepe la PEW PEW, whose parents thankfully never let them play around giant UFO balloons unsupervised.
Reader Comments
1. jiffy - October 15, 2009 3:44 PM
Someone saw UP too many times.
2. First - October 15, 2009 3:44 PM
Second
3. Pablo - October 15, 2009 3:44 PM
No kid inside!!!
4. Second - October 15, 2009 3:44 PM
Third
5. FAHAD ZARHAM - October 15, 2009 3:46 PM
little guy is mingling with the celebees now
CELEBMINGLE.COM!
6. Evil Laugh - October 15, 2009 3:47 PM
@5
No fair, I wanna be with the Celebees too :(
7. mensa - October 15, 2009 3:50 PM
Social Darwinism at its finest. It's sad, but I don't have high hopes for the offspring of any moron who was stupid enough to leave a foil balloon that was obviously ready for liftoff unattended and tied to a tree, with knots that a six-year-old can undo. What the hell did they think was going to happen?
8. Brownie - October 15, 2009 3:51 PM
So lame, Theres No Freakin kid in there!!!! And it didn't even explode or anything cool!
9. Rosswell - October 15, 2009 3:51 PM
It landed. No kid to be seen.
10. Jrdn - October 15, 2009 3:52 PM
aw thanks GW for thanking me :D
i blame it all on that whimsical UP movie.
shit would've never happened if that movie hadn't been made.
actually... i would have done the same thing!
11. Lexy - October 15, 2009 3:53 PM
Did you also get that the boy's name is Falcon? I shit you not.
12. The observer - October 15, 2009 3:55 PM
He fell out. Its obvious. The thing is filled with helium. He probably either jumped when he couldn't breathe anymore or passed out and slipped out the door. Fox News is reporting that people saw him fall out and the kid's brother did too. Shame.
13. Mike Gut - October 15, 2009 3:55 PM
It's kinda like Flight of the Navigator.....maybe he was transported to the future and needs to find his way back.
14. dorothy - October 15, 2009 3:55 PM
there wasnt even a door.
it was just a distraction so he could go to a strip club or something
15. dorothy - October 15, 2009 3:57 PM
@ 11
Falcon was the other kid no? isnt his name Rollo or Ryo or something??
16. shana - October 15, 2009 3:58 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBWJXXgaYBo&feature=player_embedded
these parents should be killed.
17. Lexy - October 15, 2009 4:00 PM
@15 Well according to CNN, the 6 year old boy name is Falcon Heene.
18. Orly? - October 15, 2009 4:01 PM
-1 one annoying child, + 2 points (+5 if the body isn't found)
19. LC - October 15, 2009 4:02 PM
Kid was never in there, call him Hoaxy McHoaxington III.
20. ObamaPacman - October 15, 2009 4:04 PM
Time for another Darwin award.
21. Brandon - October 15, 2009 4:05 PM
http://www.youtube.com/user/YouTubianAwards#p/a/u/2/eYYhHt5Oi2k
22. dorothy - October 15, 2009 4:09 PM
wow... this kid is famous for many reason......
23. Hawk - October 15, 2009 4:10 PM
Kid has a good name!
Probably a hoax to get attention to his balloon project. Bet he was never in there.
24. Diane - October 15, 2009 4:11 PM
Wow you guys are assholes. The kid could be dead. Karma is a bitch.
25. Nick - October 15, 2009 4:12 PM
@24 - If your logic is karma then that kid must have done something really shitty to fall out of a hot air balloon.
26. pepper - October 15, 2009 4:13 PM
I really hope they find him! i hope he is okay! poor kid!
27. Hawk - October 15, 2009 4:13 PM
My karma ran over my dogma a long time ago!
28. The observer - October 15, 2009 4:15 PM
It also means that something bad is going to happen to you heartless pricks.
29. Closet Nerd - October 15, 2009 4:15 PM
@20 Nope. You need to be (of been)18 to receive a Darwin Award.
And 24 is right. You guys are assholes about this.
I love to joke about shit, but this is someone's child who is probably now dead.
30. Haha - October 15, 2009 4:16 PM
I don't know why this is so funny, but it is.
If the kid is dead, it was real. If he's alive, hoax.
Let's wait and see!
31. John Fuggles - October 15, 2009 4:16 PM
It's all over 4chan.
32. naas - October 15, 2009 4:18 PM
fukk'd up.......... cool balloon dude, but the kid part is not
33. Closet Nerd - October 15, 2009 4:18 PM
The kid was on ABC's wife swap
http://entertainment.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/10/15/missing-balloon-boy-falcon-heene-was-in-wife-swap-family/
At least its not the "Bacon is AWESOME" kid.
34. mensa - October 15, 2009 4:19 PM
I don't think we are being all that obnoxious. Kids do stupid shit; that is understandable. It is the whole leaving-kids-unattended-with-a-helium-filled-ballon-thing that annoys me. Especially since it obviously wasn't tied up correctly if a 6 year old could undo those knots. Some people are unfit for parenthood. I bet all that is going to happen to the parents is a CNN interview where they cry on camera, people feel sorry for them, and they get off scot free. Pisses me off.
35. Closet Nerd - October 15, 2009 4:21 PM
They should of put a case of beer in the basket, and then tried to see if that drunk guy from the previous post could get into the balloon.
36. jaja - October 15, 2009 4:24 PM
Pwned LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
What a fagtard child.
37. nikom - October 15, 2009 4:25 PM
are you kidding me?.
http://www.peoplevents.blogspot.com
38. mensa - October 15, 2009 4:28 PM
Okay, #36 was a bit douche like.
39. gizmoduck - October 15, 2009 4:31 PM
@1-38
FALCON PUNCH!!
40. bob - October 15, 2009 4:33 PM
#36. Go to hell.
I hope the poor kid is alright...Kids do stupid things but he may have died because of this. What if your kid or sibling did this? Would all you guys be such assholes then?
41. gizmoduck - October 15, 2009 4:34 PM
@40
you mad bob?
42. bob - October 15, 2009 4:37 PM
@41
Damn right I am.
43. gizmoduck - October 15, 2009 4:42 PM
FALCON PUNCH!!
44. noodle - October 15, 2009 4:43 PM
wow, thats f'ing horrible. not good at all.
45. Tara - October 15, 2009 4:50 PM
Here's a question tho ... how come he and his sibling were not in school?
46. naas - October 15, 2009 4:50 PM
ohh I bet that left a mark
47. gizmoduck - October 15, 2009 5:02 PM
if they have that in their house, i'm sure they HAVE to have a secret trap door or mystery room. i know i would.
48. Funeral Balloons - October 15, 2009 5:03 PM
They didn't get enough attention with that TV show, so they just had top it with something else. Pretending to send a kid off in a balloon seems pretty inventive.
49. Britt - October 15, 2009 5:03 PM
I doubt anyone watches Wifeswap or The Soup
But that family was on Wifeswap
Sux
50. J - October 15, 2009 5:05 PM
GW, you should remove this item. Its probable this poor little fellas died as a result of this. Its not his fault his fathers a nutbag. The little guy climbed in a big shiny box like any other 6yo would do so you cant blame him. I really hope someones mistaken and he never got in the box in the first place and turns up ok but this is bound to be tragic. As a mark of respect for the little guy, take it off.
51. gizmoduck - October 15, 2009 5:07 PM
joel mchale is a funny man, funny man
52. a dog - October 15, 2009 5:07 PM
@39
best post ever!
53. gizmoduck - October 15, 2009 5:10 PM
this reminds me of a time when i watch law & order an hour ago, and a 7 year old shot a 6 year old and everyone was saying it wasn't his fault and he doesn't know better. when in fact he knew damn well that little girl would die and never come back to class.
in this case, there is no proof he was in the silver flying disc. i rest my case.
54. bob - October 15, 2009 5:10 PM
@50. I completely agree with you. This isn't something that should be joked about. Take it down GW.
55. bribios - October 15, 2009 5:19 PM
Sounds like the basket wasn't breached, Sheriff thinks its more likely the kid got out, or wasnt even in the balloon at all, and is just hiding because he doesn't want to get in trouble.
56. j - October 15, 2009 5:23 PM
i smell shenanigans!
57. greenman - October 15, 2009 5:24 PM
Since when is posting a news story considered "joking" about it? So should CNN stop reporting it as well? Christ on a pony you pu**ies.
58. gizmoduck - October 15, 2009 5:27 PM
Next up: CNN brings in an expert on where a scared child may be hiding
....
jimmy neutron is not impressed
59. naas - October 15, 2009 5:31 PM
whether the kid is alive or not, why did they have to kill the balloon? that in itself is a tragedy
60. wizard willow caca - October 15, 2009 5:31 PM
wtf?
61. naas - October 15, 2009 5:32 PM
...I seriously hope that kid is fine, but.....the balloon....just why? that was one of the best inadvertent test flights I've seen in awhile
62. wizard willow poo-poo - October 15, 2009 5:33 PM
@57
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmlBPAY90MM
63. naas - October 15, 2009 5:35 PM
IRAN doesn't even fly shit that well..... just why??
64. JJtoob - October 15, 2009 5:36 PM
I believe this falls under "awsome". Even if the kid had the bad luck of expiring, he's awsome for having flown in a helium balloon. And he'll be awsome if he was just hiding and got TV attention from it.
65. Squidly - October 15, 2009 5:40 PM
It floated right over our school, but no one noticed...
66. godmachine666 - October 15, 2009 5:41 PM
Maybe if the kids were "Pussified" they wouldn't be on the roof unsupervised, and flying away in a balloon!
67. -Lmega5- - October 15, 2009 5:58 PM
i'm totally following this story on twitter...i've never used twitter before either...
68. Alex - October 15, 2009 6:00 PM
I'm gonna go ahead and call it: he untied the balloon and didn't get in.
69. boonie - October 15, 2009 6:04 PM
@67 Sounds pretty gay to me.
70. Lmega5 - October 15, 2009 6:07 PM
BREAKING NEWS!!! Boy found alive. Reports said he was spotted buying supplies at a grocery store. He was headed to Mexico!
71. boonie - October 15, 2009 6:09 PM
MORE BREAKING NEWS!!!! Lmega5 joins twitter, turns gay!
Details after the break.................
72. Danny - October 15, 2009 6:15 PM
He was in the attic the whole time. It was a hoax.
73. Geekologie - October 15, 2009 6:17 PM
UPDATE: the boy has been found safe and sound. He was hiding in his attic for fear he did something wrong. He was never in the balloon.
74. naas - October 15, 2009 6:20 PM
another great hoax pulled off, attn fame: here come the Heenes
75. -Lmega5- - October 15, 2009 6:20 PM
they found him in the attic of their home!!!!
76. Delgo - October 15, 2009 6:21 PM
Simple solution.
Surface to air missile.
77. boonie - October 15, 2009 6:21 PM
ANOTHER UPDATE: Lmega5 still very gay, gets get with self while tweeting about it
78. Lmega5 - October 15, 2009 6:21 PM
Breaking news....my butthole is gay and i need you to twitter it....also my colon is hard and i need you to massage it....ohh yeah....gay me please..hehe
79. -Lmega5- - October 15, 2009 6:22 PM
i honestly would've preferred him be IN the balloon...this is kind of a let down.
80. CHRYZ - October 15, 2009 6:23 PM
@79 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!
81. Capt. Falcon - October 15, 2009 6:29 PM
@Balloon Boy
FALCON KICK in the @$$!!
82. Closet Rat - October 15, 2009 6:32 PM
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091015/ap_on_re_us/us_boy_in_balloon
Found in cardboard box in garage attic- CNN, MSNBC, FOX, local news FAIL.
83. alannatron - October 15, 2009 6:39 PM
They found him. he was hiding in the attic
84. #ImGayAndTwitter - October 15, 2009 6:39 PM
RT@MORE BREAKING NEWS!!!! Lmega5 joins twitter, turns gay!
Details after the break................
85. dillman502 - October 15, 2009 6:48 PM
when this is over his parents will beat his a** and get arrested for it
86. bahhum - October 15, 2009 6:52 PM
they found him, he was hiding in a box at his house...
87. read the blog - October 15, 2009 6:54 PM
they found him masturbating to cosmo in the attic!
88. dave - October 15, 2009 6:56 PM
he hid in the attic...I am surprised the ghosts didnt get him.
89. Purple Monkey Dishwasher - October 15, 2009 6:58 PM
that kid needs an ass beating.
90. Ryluria - October 15, 2009 7:05 PM
Totally saw this coming.. Twelve Monkeys anyone?
91. shellshell - October 15, 2009 7:07 PM
oh how everyone loves a tradgedy, how disappointing for you all !! them kids would so have it!!
92. Ash - October 15, 2009 7:10 PM
My friends and I were watching this on the news for ike half an hour. Turns out the balloon flew right over our town. Only in Colorado...
93. boonie - October 15, 2009 7:12 PM
LATEST BREAKING NEWS: Lmega5 takes it in the pooper LIVE on twitter, tweeties everywhere twiddle their thumbs tardishly while turning gay at the same time.
Details after the break......................
94. a dog - October 15, 2009 8:11 PM
THIS JUST IN: he was in a box in the attic
95. Ciao - October 15, 2009 8:14 PM
got bored of it, untied it, then left. perhaps he hid in the attic fearing that he may be in trouble for setting free a balloon he wished to not be grounded ,like he is now.
Glad he's ok.
96. gizmoduck - October 15, 2009 8:39 PM
bob and j, you both can suck it now and buy us all a beer.
case closed
97. Val - October 15, 2009 9:27 PM
@49 - I wouldn't feel anything, because I'm not a shitty enough parent to leave a freaking SHINY BALLOON OF DOOM fully inflated and loosely tied up to the corner of my mobile home/cardboard box/trailer/whatever Colorado hillbillies live in.
I hate it that news stations are referring to the douche canoe father as a "scientist". That kid deserves a beating, and that family should have to pay for the time and effort wasted looking for the little jackass.
98. Hawk - October 15, 2009 9:32 PM
I TOLD YOU! It was a flocking hoax all along! Kid is safe! He was "hiding" in the attic, or so his parents say. Dude did this to gain attention. Nothing more.
@24 BITE ME FLUFFY ASS TAIL FEATHERS!! I called that one! ADMIT IT!!
99. vashsfreak - October 15, 2009 9:38 PM
Peoples they found him in the attic in a box! Hooray for imagination!
100. SnOoPs - October 15, 2009 10:17 PM
Yo Balloon Boy, Imma let you finish, but Anne Frank had the best attic hideout spot of all time
101. Priscilla - October 15, 2009 10:18 PM
The kid ratted on his parents for the publicity stunt on Blitzer. "Falcon, why didn't you come out of the attic?" *kid looks confused for a moment* "You guys said it was for the show."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI6UONWCq7A
102. Eva Maria Livia Amurri - October 15, 2009 10:26 PM
mad props, SnOoPs
103. dorothy - October 15, 2009 10:32 PM
one of the experts CNN had on the phone actually said they'd probably find him hiding under the bed or some shit
104. monster - October 15, 2009 10:37 PM
@103
an expert? on what, determining the likelihood that children will get in a balloon and untie it? sounds like a fancy job...
105. dorothy - October 15, 2009 10:38 PM
@ 101
wonder whats gonna happen now that he ratted on them... lol
i love that "yeah..." the dad gives
106. boonie - October 15, 2009 11:47 PM
LATEST MOST CURRENT BREAKING BREAKTHROUGH NEWS OF ALL TIME:
Lmega5 breaks the world record for having more buttsecks in 1 day than Folsom Street has in 30 years AAANNNDDD tweets about it on twitter LIVE because twitter is almost gayer than Lmega5!!!
Details after the break..............
107. Orly? - October 16, 2009 12:05 AM
And they say prayer works.. I prayed he was dead, no such luck..
108. naas - October 16, 2009 12:53 AM
@107 http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q296/mochapiggy/no.jpg
109. Orly? - October 16, 2009 1:54 AM
@108 http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b55/Danthrax40/obama-wtf.jpg
110. stupid balloon - October 16, 2009 2:35 AM
the kid should have been tied to the tree not the balloon. the balloon was behaving, the kid wasn't.
111. ballon boy - October 16, 2009 4:24 AM
Now they found him. We should put him in the f-ing balloon.
I want a real story.
112. Jaded Icon - October 16, 2009 8:27 AM
Interesting part now is finding out if this was the boy's idea or his parents. If it was the boy's (grounding with a side of spank) and if it was the parent's idea. Give them the bill for deploying the National Guard.
113. Ciao - October 16, 2009 8:39 AM
Turns out it wasn't the kid being naughty, but rather the parents who pulled it off as a publicity stunt. oh ho ho yo ho!! check out the recent interview @ CNN, or some yackity news thing.
114. Mike - October 16, 2009 9:44 AM
Good work Sno0pes.
115. noodle - October 16, 2009 9:48 AM
i say shoot the parents and feed the kids to the dogs.
after all the bullshit something has to be done.
116. henree - October 16, 2009 10:03 AM
guess what? IT WAS A HOAX. family are a bunch of attention whores.
117. Thumperchica - October 16, 2009 10:55 AM
He wasn't hiding, he was reading the Never Ending Story.
118. Thumperchica - October 16, 2009 11:03 AM
Ok, so once again, the whiners want to pull a NEWS article because the comments offend them. Stop trying to censor people simply because you don't like it.
119. naas - October 16, 2009 11:08 AM
@109 heheh, I dunno - that pic was titled orly so I figued wtf....
I found this for Lmega5 since there's been some harassment flying over his head.... http://bugi.oulu.fi/~heikkiv/chan/parker.jpg
@112 I agree with you on all counts there, especially that all this was the parents doing.... but what sucks is that someone has to pay when the national guard is deployed. WTF, don't taxes cover something like that? I understand paying for an ambulance, ect - but the national guard!?
I was just thinking of copycatting this stunt, but with a giant GEEKOLOGIE BALLOON. I was going to tell the news that GW could possibly be inside hog tied w/ an open jar of peanut butter. ....but I don't want to pay for the national guard part
120. Nirojan - October 17, 2009 2:42 PM
Someone on newgrounds made a game about this.
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/514834
121. Hawk - October 18, 2009 10:04 AM
I TOLD YOU SO! HAHAHAH!!!
I told you it was a hoax, but nooo, I get chastised instead. Well who's laughing now beatchs!?! The police are filing charges against them!
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/18/colorado.balloon.investigation/index.html
So, the next time a little birdie tells ya something...
:>>
122. Geekolojew - October 19, 2009 7:59 AM
Must See!!!
http://alturl.com/obg7
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