Balloon boy's father: Ordeal was no stunt

Oct 16, 2009, 16:36 GMT

Los Angeles - The father of a boy who was believed to have been aboard a drifting experimental balloon that sparked a media sensation denied Friday that the incident had been a publicity stunt.

The ordeal captivated viewers around the world on Thursday before it emerged that Richard Heene's six-year-old son, Falcon, was not aboard the balloon that drifted high over the Colorado countryside. Instead he was hiding in a box in the attic apparently scared of getting a scolding from his dad.

Speculation that the incident may have been staged increased when Falcon said in a CNN interview that 'we did this for the show.' But Richard Heene, a scientific tinkerer and stormchaser, dismissed such speculation as 'pathetic.'

'I went through such a roller coaster of emotions yesterday, to have people say that, I think, is extremely pathetic,' he told ABC's Good Morning America. 'I'm not selling anything. This is what we do all the time,' he added.

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden told the show that investigators initially believed that the family was telling the truth, based on their interviews and body language.

'They were completely convinced this was the real deal and not a hoax,' he said. However investigators would seek to re-interview the family following the boy's comments on CNN, he said, adding that authorities would seek compensation if the incident did turn out to have been a stunt.

The drama began midday Thursday when one of Falcon's brothers reported that the flying saucer-shaped balloon had inadvertently taken off after the child had climbed into it. After authorities were alerted news helicopters began tracking the helium-filled craft as pictures of the drama played out and rescuers tried to figure out how to get the balloon under control.

After a two-hour journey the balloon crash-landed in a Colorado field, but the boy was not found inside prompting fears that he may have fallen out. Though a police search of the family's house and surrounding areas failed to locate the boy, he eventually came out by himself from his hiding place in a box above the garage.

'It was like a miracle to see him again,' said the boy's mother, Miyumi Heene. 'I'm really sorry I yelled at him,' Richard Heene told reporters as he hugged Falcon.

'I will never do it again,' said the boy.