A 6yr. old trapped in balloon Live.

[chargerboy69]

Not sure if you guys have seen this.  At posting this is live on Drudge Report.  A 6 yr old boy is trapped in a run-away balloon.

http://www.breitbart.tv/watch-live-boy-in-balloon-aircraft-soars-out-of-control-over-colorado/

[Ponch ®]

if the kid makes it, it'll be the coolest thing anyone's ever pulled off in a while.

reminds me of  "Flight of the Navigator"

[chargerboy69]

if the kid makes it, it'll be the coolest thing anyone's ever pulled off in a while.

reminds me of  "Flight of the Navigator"

Pulling out the very obscure "Flight of the Navigator" reference.  Nice  .


I don't know.  As the balloon gets closer to the ground,  they might want to not go live any longer. 

They just said they are going to cut away as it lands.  Smart move on their part.

[dodgecharger-fan]

It landed softly.... and it's empty!

[chargerboy69]

It landed softly.... and it's empty!

Uh. . .that could suck.

[Neal_J]

I hope this story turns out OK but I've got a very bad feeling about it.

Really, what kind of parents leave a huge helium-filled balloon in the backyard with unsupervised kids???

If their kid is notOK they will have to live with that dreadful reality for the rest of their days. But I really think they should do some hard time for their gross negligence.

[69bronzeT5]

The kid is not in the balloon....

[Ponch ®]

i smell a hoax.

[Neal_J]

Maybe.  Maybe not.

Evidently the family was on Wife Swap.  They're "storm chasers" who were criticized for their chaotic parenting style.  Gee, ya think?

[bull]

If the parents are that stupid they probably lost the kid before the balloon took off and didn't even know it. The kid probably never got in the balloon in the first place. That dad needs a swift kick in the sack.

[Ponch ®]

If the parents are that stupid they probably lost the kid before the balloon took off and didn't even know it. The kid probably never got in the balloon in the first place. That dad needs a swift kick in the sack.

that's what im thinking. Im reading elsewhere that the balloon a) wasn't designed to carry anyone and b) the compartment where the kid was supposed to be wouldn't be able to hold his weight. In that case, we can conclude that a) the balloon wouldn't be able to lift off in the 1st place if theres a kid in it or b) if it did lift off, the compartment would have fallen apart only a few feet (or maybe inches) off the ground. I mean seriously...how many of us as kids didn't try to build some sort of contraption like this out of cardboard and shipping tape only to always fail miserably?

[Neal_J]

Yea, but this rig was made of mylar, filled with helium, tethered in the yard and evidently capable of reaching heights of 10,000 feet. 

I 2nd the swift kick to Dad's sack.  Make that two kicks.

[Forza]

Natural selection at it's finest

[Ponch ®]

I 2nd the swift kick to Dad's sack.  Make that two kicks.

I don't know...as someone said on moparts (and yes...Im using a post from moparts as a reference source  ) - that's like blaming the parents for leaving the car keys on the table and then the kid all of a sudden decides to go for a joyride.

[chargerboy69]

There is a picture from a news camera with something that looks like it is falling from the balloon.  They are not sure what it is.


http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=125161&catid=339

[bull]

I 2nd the swift kick to Dad's sack.  Make that two kicks.

I don't know...as someone said on moparts (and yes...Im using a post from moparts as a reference source  ) - that's like blaming the parents for leaving the car keys on the table and then the kid all of a sudden decides to go for a joyride.

I'd say it's more like leaving the car running with the door open.

[Neal_J]

Nope, I don't equate the normal act of leaving car keys unattended with leaving a a helium-filled navigation ballon in the yard.  Moreover, their bigger sin is not supervising the kids.  It's the same as blaming a parent who's kid drowns in an unlocked & unsupervised backyard pool.  As a parent, it's your job to ensure these avoidable situations don't occur.

I totally blame the parents and think they each deserve a whack upside the head with a hunk of pipe.

[Ponch ®]

Nope, I don't equate the normal act of leaving car keys unattended with leaving a a helium-filled navigation ballon in the yard.  Moreover, their bigger sin is not supervising the kids.  It's the same as blaming a parent who's kid drowns in an unlocked & unsupervised backyard pool.  As a parent, it's your job to ensure these avoidable situations don't occur.

I totally blame the parents and think they each deserve a whack upside the head with a hunk of pipe.

i reckon you have a point. the first thing I thought when I saw this was "why aren't the kids in school? it's a thursday..."

[bordin34]

It was a hoax, kid was at home the whole time.

[Ponch ®]

It was a hoax, kid was at home the whole time.

told ya. w00t!  

[Magnumcharger]

After a massive search of northern Colorado, a 6-year-old boy who was believed to be in an experimental aircraft when it took off from his Fort Collins home was found hiding in the attic of his home.

[Landonsrt]

Little SHIT! As my wife would say.

[2Gunz]

What I dont understand is how they would think that it could lift a 45 pound 6 year old to begin with.

[The70RT]

What I dont understand is how they would think that it could lift a 45 pound 6 year old to begin with.

I agree.....then they acted like they were scared of it when they went up to it. It took a few minutes for them to notice it was empty. If there was a kid in it he wouldn't of got immediate attention and probably would have died of helium asphyxiation anyway. There wasn't a basket so he would have been inside of it. I remember when some kids died from just a few hits of helium at Mc Donalds or somewhere like that some years ago.

[bull]

I remember when some kids died from just a few hits of helium at Mc Donalds or somewhere like that some years ago.

All of them screaming for help in Mickey Mouse voices? That's hard to take serious.

[2Gunz]

The video Cracked me up. Like 20 people with zero common sense.

Trying to tie it down, throwing dirt on it, Hitting it with an axe and a shovel.

They act its some sort of alien spacecraft.

Walk up cut it with a knife look inside for the kid.

[bull]

Like I said, the little dork never launched himself in the first place.

[Forza]

The little sh*t probably was messing around with the balloon and untethered it and knew his dad would be pissed so he went and hid in the attic. Why do I get the feeling the family is going to become instant celebrities and have their own TV series on TLC?

[69bronzeT5]

The video Cracked me up. Like 20 people with zero common sense.

Trying to tie it down, throwing dirt on it, Hitting it with an axe and a shovel.

They act its some sort of alien spacecraft.

Walk up cut it with a knife look inside for the kid.

My exact thoughts.

[Rolling_Thunder]

A couple tracer rounds would have brought it down nice and fast      Oh wait...    Helium - not hydrogen...    nevermind...     

[mikepmcs]

Hoax was my first thought. Then I saw a couple things on the internet, saw the dads poor acting skills, found out the family has been on reality tv before and my second thought just assured me I was right.He should be arrested and fined heavily for the resources that were used.

[451-74Charger]

The Family has been on ABS's Wife Swap twice already.
I am thinking this was a publicity stunt for Dad.
I bet he couldnt get permission to launch the balloon, and so he thought, lets blame the kid. !!

[Bob]

The Family has been on ABS's Wife Swap twice already.
I am thinking this was a publicity stunt for Dad.
I bet he couldnt get permission to launch the baloon, and so he thought, lets blame the kid. !!

Your right. Here is an extract from L. King Live.

R. HEENE: You'd have to -- Falcon, did you hear us calling your name at any time?

F. HEENE: Uh-huh.

R. HEENE: You did?

M. HEENE: You did?

R. HEENE: Well, why didn't you come out?

F. HEENE: You had said that we did this for a show.

R. HEENE: Yes.

F. HEENE: So...

R. HEENE: You didn't come out?

F. HEENE: No.

[Old Moparz]

I just saw the story on TV this morning & it was the first I heard of it. The parents should be fined for some kind of wreckless act if it wasn't really an accident. If it was planned & they make any money off this incident, it wouldn't surprise me at all. The whole time the family was being interviewed on TV, the Dad looked like a worse actor than anyone from a cheap science fiction flick from the 60's, the Mom smiled like a mental patient on meds, & the 3 kids looked like they couldn't wait to get back to their video games. 

[Brock Samson]

I finally saw the kid on TV and his saying "It was for a show"...
IMO, it's shameful behavior on a Par with Octimom... 

[BigBlackDodge]

Wackos..............

Here they are on 'wife swap'


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr_zA5E7n7A

BBD

[69bronzeT5]

I finally saw the kid on TV and his saying "It was for a show"...
IMO, it's shameful behavior on a Par with Octimom... 

"Family members also regularly film their activities and post them on a channel they maintain on YouTube. Their cameras were rolling when the balloon broke free of its tethers and the family's oldest boy claimed he'd seen his brother inside."

[bull]

I finally saw the kid on TV and his saying "It was for a show"...
IMO, it's shameful behavior on a Par with Octimom...  

"Family members also regularly film their activities and post them on a channel they maintain on YouTube."

Oh, so they're related to Gowdy then. Does this mental illness have a classification among professional psychologists yet?

[1969chargerrtse]

They are thinking about Criminal charges.


"We were looking at Class 3 misdemeanor, which hardly seems serious enough given the circumstances," Alderden said. "We are talking to the district attorney, federal officials to see if perhaps there aren't additional federal charges that are appropriate in this circumstance."

[ZSmithersCharges]

They are thinking about Criminal charges.


"We were looking at Class 3 misdemeanor, which hardly seems serious enough given the circumstances," Alderden said. "We are talking to the district attorney, federal officials to see if perhaps there aren't additional federal charges that are appropriate in this circumstance."

Here's a good option, have the parents evaluated by a psychiatrist, deem them unfit as parents. Take the kids away. Seriously, if these parents are allowed to raise their kids giving them this type of example imagine how they will be when they are grown up/raising their own kids. Doing ridiculous things for attention and money, these are the type of things that turn people into murderers when previous attempts fail.  They obviously show complete disregard for the law and the impact their actions have on society.  I mean how many people got put on hold or had a late response when they called the police that day seeking help because they were out looking for this boy?  Did you see how many squad cars and rescue crews that were there that were probably needed elsewhere?

[Neal_J]

i smell a hoax.

Give that man a cookie!

[1969chargerrtse]

Heard this morning it was a scam and they are pressing charges.

[Neal_J]

I just don't understand why some are so desperate to be famous...

[Old Moparz]

The parents are definitely a-holes for many reasons, but there's no reason to remove the kids. Doing something like that would do far more damage than good. The best thing to do is fine them for the BS, but not fine them to the point where they have to sell their house to pay it. Maybe invoke some kind of court order that states that if they use this incident to make money, then the first thing they have to do is pay back all the costs incurred in the search. They have laws preventing criminals from profiting from their story, so why not these morons too?

[Brock Samson]

I totally agree.

[ZSmithersCharges]

The parents are definitely a-holes for many reasons, but there's no reason to remove the kids. Doing something like that would do far more damage than good. The best thing to do is fine them for the BS, but not fine them to the point where they have to sell their house to pay it. Maybe invoke some kind of court order that states that if they use this incident to make money, then the first thing they have to do is pay back all the costs incurred in the search. They have laws preventing criminals from profiting from their story, so why not these morons too?

I don't Agree but to each his own.

[bull]

The parents are definitely a-holes for many reasons, but there's no reason to remove the kids. Doing something like that would do far more damage than good. The best thing to do is fine them for the BS, but not fine them to the point where they have to sell their house to pay it. Maybe invoke some kind of court order that states that if they use this incident to make money, then the first thing they have to do is pay back all the costs incurred in the search. They have laws preventing criminals from profiting from their story, so why not these morons too?

I bet they'll be repaying the rescue effort money anyway. They should. The authorities will often do that with incidents that include negligence or stunts like the guy who tried to base jump off the top of a waterfall and got stuck on the cliff halfway down. I bet the police and firefighters are pissed for being made fools of now.

[ZSmithersCharges]

The parents are definitely a-holes for many reasons, but there's no reason to remove the kids. Doing something like that would do far more damage than good. The best thing to do is fine them for the BS, but not fine them to the point where they have to sell their house to pay it. Maybe invoke some kind of court order that states that if they use this incident to make money, then the first thing they have to do is pay back all the costs incurred in the search. They have laws preventing criminals from profiting from their story, so why not these morons too?

I bet they'll be repaying the rescue effort money anyway. They should. The authorities will often do that with incidents that include negligence or stunts like the guy who tried to base jump off the top of a waterfall and got stuck on the cliff halfway down. I bet the police and firefighters are pissed for being made fools of now.

Nobody really made a fool of them though personally.  They were just responding to a call and doing their jobs.  I think it made them look better because they did their job diligently and put the facts aside until they KNEW there was no one in the balloon for themselves to avoid making a mistake or underestimating the situation.  I applaud them, it just made the people look like *ssholes as witnessed by the change of attitude from the beginning and ending points of this thread.

[Mike DC]

                              

Whatever happens, IMHO these parents need to be made an example.  

There's too much danger to set an example the other direction if they're not punished harshly enough.  We can't let the idea take root that abusing the emergency services can be done for a net gain.  

[ZSmithersCharges]

                             

Whatever happens, IMHO these parents need to be made an example.  

There's too much danger to set an example the other direction if they're not punished harshly enough.  We can't let the idea take root that abusing the emergency services can be done for a net gain.  

Exactly why I think they should take the kids because they are abusing them mentally as well in their quest to "get on TV" I highly doubt they are raising these kids with strong values as just about everything on TV nowadays is quite to the contrary unless they're trying to get on the gospel channel.

[bull]

The parents are definitely a-holes for many reasons, but there's no reason to remove the kids. Doing something like that would do far more damage than good. The best thing to do is fine them for the BS, but not fine them to the point where they have to sell their house to pay it. Maybe invoke some kind of court order that states that if they use this incident to make money, then the first thing they have to do is pay back all the costs incurred in the search. They have laws preventing criminals from profiting from their story, so why not these morons too?

I bet they'll be repaying the rescue effort money anyway. They should. The authorities will often do that with incidents that include negligence or stunts like the guy who tried to base jump off the top of a waterfall and got stuck on the cliff halfway down. I bet the police and firefighters are pissed for being made fools of now.

Nobody really made a fool of them though personally.  They were just responding to a call and doing their jobs.  I think it made them look better because they did their job diligently and put the facts aside until they KNEW there was no one in the balloon for themselves to avoid making a mistake or underestimating the situation.  I applaud them, it just made the people look like *ssholes as witnessed by the change of attitude from the beginning and ending points of this thread.

I agree in general and I applaud them too but when they're sent out on a bogus rescue calls I bet they still feel a little foolish. Especially when it's a hoax.

[472 R/T SE]

Children wouldn't happen to be home schooled would they?

Nothing against it, just curious.