Claims balloon drama a hoax ‘pathetic’

THE father of a 6-year-old boy who was thought to be in a helium balloon that floated away and was pursued by military helicopters said yesterday accusations that the ordeal was a publicity stunt are “extremely pathetic”.

Richard Heene and his family made the rounds on television networks yesterday and the boy at the centre of the saga got sick twice when he and his father were asked during separate interviews what the boy meant when he said that “we did this for a show”.

Falcon Heene vanished around the time his family’s homemade helium balloon floated away from their home on Thursday, setting off a national uproar as authorities scoured the plains of northern Colorado for the youngster. It turned out he was hiding in the rafters of the family’s garage.