Hot Air

Police: “Balloon Boy” a Hoax

Sheriff says family cooked up stunt for reality show.

The “balloon boy” story popped wide open on Sunday when the Colorado sheriff who had been investigating the incident held a press conference stating the whole thing was a hoax. “It was a publicity stunt,” Larimer County Sherriff Jim Alderden told reporters, “and we believe we have evidence to indicate that this was a publicity stunt in hopes to better market themselves for a reality show.” The Heene family, whose son Falcon was said to be inside an out-of-control weather balloon that floated above northern Colorado for several hours on Friday, could face several charges, including conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, filing a false report, and attempting to influence a public servant. The Heenes, one-time participants in the ABC television show Wife Swap, have emphatically denied that the incident was a hoax, despite accusations from father Richard’s former assistant.