Colorado authorities launched an extensive hunt Thursday for a 6-year-old boy they feared had been carried away in a flying homemade balloon -- only to find the boy back at home in the attic over the garage.
The case mystified authorities for several hours Thursday, first in chasing the flying-saucer-shaped balloon across two counties before it crashed gently in a dirt field. Then, after the balloon turned up empty, authorities shifted to a ground search for the boy, fearing he may have fallen out in flight.
The harrowing scene played out live on TV, until police announced that the boy had been hiding in a cardboard box at home the whole time.
"It was a miracle to see him," his mother, Mayumi Heene, told reporters Thursday evening while grasping her three boys, including the 6-year-old, Falcon.
"My legs were weak," Falcon's father, Richard, said about seeing his son safely on the ground and at home. "I couldn't even walk from one room to the next."
Richard Heene, an amateur storm chaser, said the family was tinkering with the balloon when he scolded Falcon for getting inside a compartment on the craft.
"We were working on an experimental craft," he told reporters. "I call it the 3D LAV, a low-altitude vehicle for people to pull out of their garage and hover above traffic for about 50 to 100 feet. It's still in the very early stages of the invention."
He said Falcon's brother had seen the boy inside the compartment before it took off, and that's why they thought he was in there when it launched.
"I yelled at him. I'm really sorry I yelled at him," Heene said as he hugged his son during a news conference.
This isn't the first time family has faced the national spotlight. It has been featured twice on the ABC series "Wife Swap," first on Oct. 3, 2008, and again when the family was voted back for the 100th episode of the show, which aired on March 13, 2009.
The case mystified authorities for several hours Thursday, first in chasing the flying-saucer-shaped balloon across two counties before it crashed gently in a dirt field. Then, after the balloon turned up empty, authorities shifted to a ground search for the boy, fearing he may have fallen out in flight.
The harrowing scene played out live on TV, until police announced that the boy had been hiding in a cardboard box at home the whole time.
"It was a miracle to see him," his mother, Mayumi Heene, told reporters Thursday evening while grasping her three boys, including the 6-year-old, Falcon.
"My legs were weak," Falcon's father, Richard, said about seeing his son safely on the ground and at home. "I couldn't even walk from one room to the next."
Richard Heene, an amateur storm chaser, said the family was tinkering with the balloon when he scolded Falcon for getting inside a compartment on the craft.
"We were working on an experimental craft," he told reporters. "I call it the 3D LAV, a low-altitude vehicle for people to pull out of their garage and hover above traffic for about 50 to 100 feet. It's still in the very early stages of the invention."
He said Falcon's brother had seen the boy inside the compartment before it took off, and that's why they thought he was in there when it launched.
"I yelled at him. I'm really sorry I yelled at him," Heene said as he hugged his son during a news conference.
This isn't the first time family has faced the national spotlight. It has been featured twice on the ABC series "Wife Swap," first on Oct. 3, 2008, and again when the family was voted back for the 100th episode of the show, which aired on March 13, 2009.
