FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — A 6-year-old Colorado boy feared to have floated off in a helium balloon has been found safe at his home, hiding in a cardboard box in the garage attic.
Sheriff Jim Alderman turned to reporters during a news conference and held thumbs up and said, "He's at the house." Alderden said an investigator on the scene saw the boy and he was fine.
He said the boy apparently has been in the attic the whole time.
The boy’s brother had said he saw 6-year-old Falcon Heene get in the balloon before it took off. The flight lasted two hours and spanned 50 miles and set off a frantic search.
The saga captivated people around the country as they stopped to watch the jaw-dropping sight on television of the balloon gliding through the air. The flying saucer-like balloon tipped precariously at times before gliding to the ground in a field, the culmination of a two-hour, 50-mile journey through two counties.
The balloon was owned by the boy’s parents, Richard and Mayumi Heene, who are storm chasers and also appeared on the ABC reality show “Wife Swap.”
