Latest news with #MayumiHeene
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
I'm binging Netflix's Trainwreck documentaries like there's no tomorrow, but Balloon Boy could be too much to bear
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. It's good news for those of us binging the hit Netflix documentary series Trainwreck like there's no tomorrow – new installment Balloon Boy hits screens on July 15. The new unbelievable story made national headlines back in 2009, but has flown under the radar ever since. Since 2022, Trainwreck has brought multiple disturbing stories back into the public eye, with Woodstock '99, The Astroworld Tragedy and The Cult of American Apparel being among them. Of course, we can't leave the infamous Poop Cruise out, either. Think less serious true crime series and more fly-on-the-wall stuffed with personality documentary The Real Project X is still storming Netflix's top 10 chart since being released on July 8 but Balloon Boy is a surefire bet to leave you open-mouthed, even if you're familiar with the case details. Unlike deranged parties or people having to poop in red biohazard bags on their four-day trip to Mexico, Balloon Boy is a heart-stopping drama from beginning to end. Given the nickname by the press, Balloon Boy actually refers to six-year-old Falcon, who was allegedly trapped in a homemade gas balloon resembling a flying saucer when it was released above Fort Collins, Colorado. Parents Richard and Mayumi Heene told the authorities while the balloon was on its 90-minute flight, reaching heights of 7,000 feet. By the time anyone could get to the balloon, it had landed a few miles away from Denver International Airport, and there was no Falcon to be seen. When the balloon was being tracked in the air, an object supposedly fell during its flight, prompting everyone watching to think the worst. A search was quickly underway with international media flocking to cover the alleged tragedy. Here's the twist – Falcon was never in the balloon at all. Instead, he'd been hiding in the attic of the family's house the entire time, revealing during a Larry King Live interview that his parents had told him they'd done it 'for show'. News of the publicity stunt soon went viral, with local sheriffs confirming the Heenes would face felony charges for the hoax. Richard Heene pleaded guilty to attempting to influence a public servant and was sentenced to 90 days in jail and ordered to pay $36,000 in restitution, with Mayumi Heene sentenced to 20 days of weekend jail. So why do we need to see the Netflix series if the story was so well reported at the time? For one reason: Balloon Boy is the first time we're getting an in-depth look at the full story from the family's point of view. We're getting sit-down interviews with them all, including the now grown up Falcon, who still seems pleased that he was once at the centre of a national news storm as a little it all an intention ploy, or did a family joke just get way out of hand? Based on the news reports, you could argue both ways, but I can't wait to get the inside story straight from the source. If you're wondering what to stream this week, make it this as it has the potential to be one of the best Netflix shows. Squid Game: The Challenge season 3 is a win for Netflix, but one unhinged game from the K-drama can't be replicated Virgin River season 8 gets early renewal from Netflix, and this season 6 cliffhanger could be a sneaky red herring New Netflix movies: every original film you can watch on the best streaming service in July 2025
The Sun
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I was six-year-old ‘Balloon boy' who sparked £42k rescue op watched by millions…innocent comment exposed my dad's ‘hoax'
'MY family and I made an experimental flying saucer. It wasn't supposed to fly and it took off. I think my six-year-old boy got inside. He's in the air.' This bizarre emergency call from frantic father Richard Heene, in 2009, sparked a nationwide rescue operation, watched in real time as millions of TV viewers held their breath and prayed for 'Balloon boy' Falcon. 12 Over the next few hours, every news channel beamed images of the huge balloon - which measured 20ft across - as it sailed across Colorado. But when it finally landed, little Falcon was nowhere to be seen - prompting a ground search over an area of 55 miles. Now, 16 years later, the Heene family have spoken out for the first time about the infamous 'hoax' in the Netflix documentary Trainwreck: Balloon Boy which also features interviews with neighbours, reporters and police that reveal Richard's hunger for fame. And the family reveal how one innocent comment from Falcon, in the aftermath of the drama, turned the public against them and made them hate figures. "Everything blew up," says Richard. "It was like the biggest nightmare ever.' Self-styled adventurer and inventor Richard, his Japanese-born wife Mayumi and their children Bradford, 10, Ryo, eight and Falcon, six – were a lively family, according to neighbours, Dean Askew and Tina Chavez, whose bedroom overlooked their backyard. 'Richard was this big energy, constantly pacing, talking 100 miles an hour,' recalls Tina. 'He was super smart,' adds Dean. 'He could build anything. He could put electrical things together. One time I looked out the window and noticed he was working on something. It looked like a silver disc.' When he wasn't inventing things he liked to take the family in the car to chase hurricanes. 'We like to chase a thrill,' explains a grown-up Bradford in the documentary. 'Dad was always making us look at science experiments on YouTube. We were super interested in UFOs.' Inspired by the 1960s cartoon series the Jetsons, set in Orbit City where everyone flew around in personal space cars, Richard came up with a design for his own "flying saucer". 'I just thought, 'What if everybody could be flying around like The Jetsons?' It would be wonderful,' he says. 'Everybody could be pulling out of their garage in flying saucers, going to school and work and you wouldn't have all this traffic.' In 2009, he set about building his space age dream machine with his family in their backyard in Colorado. 'Dad would make me video pretty much every experiment but, at the same time, keep my brothers in check," says Bradford. "Falcon was pretty wild and chaotic. He was always touching stuff he wasn't supposed to and loved to hide in the bottom of the flying saucer.' The saucer was, in effect, a silver helium-filled balloon with a small compartment underneath. 'It was not designed to have people in it,' says Richard. 'It was a place that had access to put the helium in.' Swept away Bradley's footage of the creating of the saucer – 20 feet wide by six feet tall – is shown in the documentary. It took them just two weeks to assemble. Richard says the plan was to keep it tethered so that it hovered at 20 feet and they could study its movements. But on test day, 15 October, 2009, it broke free of its mooring and was swept into the air and carried off at speed. Video footage shows Richard shouting in anger and then in despair as Bradley tells him that he saw his brother crawl inside. 12 12 12 Falcon had a reputation for hiding but a search of the home and his usual places came to nothing and Richard made the memorable 911 emergency call, claiming his son had been swept away. 'I heard all the screaming and yelling and the chaos in their backyard,' remembers Dean. 'My son, Brennan ran back and explained, 'Dad, they said Falcon got in the balloon and it took off.' I thought, 'This cannot be happening.'' With the balloon heading towards the airport, and possibly into the path of air traffic, panic set in. Richard contacted a TV news channel asking them to follow it in their helicopter. This dramatic aerial footage then interrupted all the major news channels schedules across the country, keeping viewers riveted. Bob Heffernan, an investigator at Larimer County Sheriff's Office, visited the family and searched the property three times looking for Falcon before having to accept the awful inevitability that the young lad was up and away in a flying saucer. Media vans and reporters swarmed outside the Heene house. After nearly two hours the saucer began to descend and made a surprisingly gentle landing. But there was no sign of Falcon. Had he fallen out? At one point, a neighbour phoned Heffernan to say that she had taken a photograph of a small object falling from the flying saucer and police feared it could be Falcon. 'How do you deal with that?" Richard asks. "What if one of my stupid experiments killed my son?' On that day I was trying to sneak into the flying sauce...I wanted to live in that little compartment Falcon As a ground search got underway, tracking the flight path over 55 miles, Bob Heffernan was standing in the family kitchen when, around 4pm he heard a great commotion. Falcon had turned up. 'On that day I was trying to sneak into the flying saucer,' he tells the documentary. 'I wanted to live in that little compartment. 'After dad yelled at me a few times for being in there I was scared and thought, 'You know what? I'm just not going to be here.' So, I made my way up to my new hiding spot in the garage attic and just chilled there for a while and fell asleep. 'It wasn't until I woke up later that I started hearing weird noises, people and cars. I walked down and there are a lot of people there. It's crazy.' Mum Mayumi says: 'I couldn't believe it when I saw him. We rushed up to him and hugged him. It was the greatest surprise I ever had.' Tables turn With news outlets desperate to talk to him, Richard went outside and thanked the police and news channel for the helicopter and then agreed to be interviewed live at home with his family for Larry King's TV show. That was when things started to crash down around him. 12 12 News anchor, Wolf Blitzer, was sitting in for King and, with millions watching, the answer to his first question threw the family's story up in the air. Blitzer asks Falcon if he had heard his family calling his name when they were searching for him. To his dad's evident surprise, he replies, 'Yes.' Richard then asks his son why he didn't come out and Falcon looks at him and drops the bombshell – 'You guys said that we did this for the show.' A stunned Richard mutters, 'Damn' and can't look at the camera as Blitzer asks him what Falcon meant by that comment. He stammers, 'I have no idea. I think he was talking about the media asking him a lot of questions.' The interview turned the tide against Richard, making him the target of hostility from the public who now believed it was all just a hoax. Reporters did some more digging into the family and discovered that a year earlier Richard and Mayumi took part in the TV reality show, Wife Swap in which husbands swap wives for two weeks, suggesting they were keen on media attention. Two days after the launch of the spaceship, Bob Heffernan and Larimer County Sheriff information officer Jim Alderden, acting as press officer for the family, persuaded Richard to take a polygraph lie detector test. But his behaviour, as shown in the documentary, was bizarre. 'It was obvious Mr Heene was employing countermeasures by tensing up, not answering questions directly and doing some mind exercises as well as almost comically pretending to fall asleep,' says Alderden. 'These are published techniques of things that you can do to try to defeat a polygraph.' The test was inconclusive but when Mayumi took one, she failed. Afterwards, questioned by Heffernan, her comments amounted to a confession that the entire thing was, indeed a hoax. When directly asked if it was a hoax and that they lied to make themselves marketable, she nods. Heffernan then says, 'Did you tell the boys what you were doing?' She quietly replies, 'We told them. Yes.' He pushes further – 'Did you tell them to act like their brother had gone up in the balloon?' Mayumi answers, 'Yeah. Something like that.' In the documentary, however, the family now deny that it was all pretence and insist they were telling the truth throughout. 12 12 12 'Back then, my English was worse, and the word 'hoax' itself, I misunderstood,' says Mayumi. But Heffernan and Jim Alderden aren't buying it. 'She had a degree in English from Japan, went to three more years of college in the United States. There was not a language barrier,' says Alderden. 'I learned that the Heene's had been working very hard to try to get themselves a TV show,' says Heffernan. 'It would be helpful if they ended up in the news or got their name out their somewhere. And I think that's what their motivation was for this whole hoax.' Criminal charges were brought for conspiracy, contributing to delinquency of a minor, false reporting to authorities and attempting to influence a public servant. In court, Richard pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 days in jail while Mayumi received a 20-day sentence and had to sign in at the jail each day but then go out to perform community service. They were also ordered to pay the $42,000 (£32,000) cost of the rescue operation. Richard tells the programme that Mayumi was threatened with deportation to Japan if he did not plead guilty but Heffernan denies this. Looking back on it, I was six years old and all these adults took whatever I said, and they're able to just string together what they thought was something else and make it so big Falcon The family later moved to Florida to start a new life and, in a surprise move in 2020, the Governor of Colorado granted Richard and Mayumi a pardon, stating, 'It's time for all of us to move on.' 'I was surprised that the governor pardoned him without reaching out to us in law enforcement or anybody that had been involved,' says Alderden. 'The thing that upset me is that he did it without having Richard make any sort of admission as to his guilt.' 'To get pardoned makes a statement that I'm a good person,' says Richard. 'Everything that you said about me before was not true. That's how I feel about it.' As for Falcon, whose brief comment caused such a stir, he now says: "I think it's crazy how I was able to just say a single sentence and affect the whole state of the country. "I remember feeling bad that I did something wrong. But looking back on it, I was six years old and all these adults took whatever I said, and they're able to just string together what they thought was something else and make it so big. It's baffling.' Meanwhile, Richard continues to work on his inventions. 'With the flying saucer coming to an end, it's kind of a sad story because I loved it,' he says. 'But that doesn't hold me back. I'm working on something new. And it's going to be really big.'
Daily Mail
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Balloon Boy family to reveal what really happened in the hoax that rocked America and who lied
The Colorado family behind the infamous 'Balloon Boy' incident is finally revealing what really happened during the 2009 saga that captivated millions of Americans. The Heene family, of Fort Collins, shares their side of the story in the upcoming Netflix documentary Trainwreck: Balloon Boy, premiering July 15. The documentary revisits the bizarre October day when six-year-old Falcon Heene was believed to be trapped inside a homemade UFO built by his father, Richard Heene. On October 15, 2009, the silver helium balloon - shaped like a flying saucer - drifted up to 7,000 feet across the Colorado sky for two tense hours. Falcon's parents, Richard and Mayumi, claimed he had snuck into the balloon, prompting a frantic search that grounded planes and involved the National Guard - but Falcon was eventually found hiding in the attic of the family's home. Public concern quickly turned to outrage when it was revealed Falcon had never been inside the homemade weather balloon. Many accused the Heenes of staging the event for publicity, possibly to land a reality show. At the time, the family had pitched a science-based TV series, which had been rejected. The Heenes, however, continue to insist it was not a hoax - even as mom Mayumi Heene later told investigators her husband believed a runaway balloon with a child aboard could help secure a TV deal. Directed by Gillian Pachter, the soon-to-be released documentary features new interviews with the entire Heene family, including Richard, who built the balloon, and Falcon, who was thought to be inside. In the trailer, Richard calls the incident 'the biggest nightmare ever,' while Falcon, now 22, reflects: 'I think it was crazy how I was six years old and I was able to affect the whole state of the country.' The drama began on the chilly October day with Richard's 911 call, claiming the balloon had taken off with Falcon inside. 'All I wanted to do was make a really fantastic project for the kids,' he says in the trailer. The search drew in local authorities, the National Guard, and even Homeland Security, while news outlets nationwide covered the unfolding story. But, when the balloon finally landed 60 miles from the Heenes' home - without Falcon aboard - skepticism surged. Critics pointed to the family's prior appearance on ABC's Wife Swap as further evidence they were chasing fame. 'Everybody starts criticizing us,' Richard says in the trailer. 'I'm like, 'You've got to be s******* me!' The media frenzy continued for weeks. Richard and Mayumi both faced charges in the incident and eventually pleaded guilty - Richard to attempting to influence a public servant, and Mayumi to false reporting. Richard served 90 days in jail, and the family was ordered to pay $42,000 in restitution. They were also barred from profiting off the incident for four years. Despite this, the couple has always maintained it wasn't a hoax, claiming they pleaded guilty only to avoid Mayumi's possible deportation. However, several years later in 2020, Colorado Governor Jared Polis pardoned them. 'In the case of Richard and Mayumi Heene, the "Balloon Boy" parents, we are all ready to move past the spectacle from a decade ago that wasted the precious time and resources of law enforcement officials and the general public,' Polis said in a statement. 'Richard and Mayumi have paid the price in the eyes of the public, served their sentences, and it's time for all of us to move on.' Now, 16 years later, the Heenes are telling their full story in the Netflix documentary, produced by RAW and BBH. The trailer teases emotional moments and conflicting viewpoints. 'You don't get it!' Mayumi cries out, while one interviewee says, 'Richard and Mayumi love those kids.' Another counters, 'Richard did this purposely,' and someone else adds, 'If you think you know him, you probably don't.' The Heene family has since moved to Florida, where Falcon, now grown up, builds tiny homes for a living. He runs Craftsman Tiny Homes, a family business in Archer, Florida, offering models ranging from $25,000 to $79,000. He recently shared a video documenting the construction of a tiny home from start to finish.
Daily Mail
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
'Balloon boy' Falcon Heene finally reveals how he remembers parents' hoax that shocked America in new Netflix documentary
The child who was at the center of the 'balloon boy' hoax that gripped America nearly 16 years ago has now revealed how he relished in the chaos during the ordeal. Falcon Heene, now 22, was just six years old when he captivated the nation after his weatherman father, Richard, set off a weather balloon and then claimed it was carrying his son. For two difficult hours on October 15, 2009, the silver helium balloon, resembling a flying saucer, drifted to heights of up to 7,000 feet across the skies of Colorado. Falcon's parents claimed that the boy sneaked into the balloon and a frantic search began that grounded planes and involved the National Guard. However, Falcon was found hiding in the attic at the family's Fort Collins home. Richard and his wife, Mayumi, were later sentenced to prison for what was declared a hoax. Nearly 16 years later, the Heene family is speaking out in a new Netflix documentary called 'Trainwreck: Balloon Boy' that airs on July 15. In the new trailer, Falcon confessed that thinks it's 'crazy' how much chaos he stirred. 'I think it was crazy how I was six years old and I was able to affect the whole state of the country,' he said. The Heene parents defended their actions in the trailer with Mayumi crying, 'You don't get it!' 'All I wanted to do was make a really fantastic project for the kids,' Richard said. 'Everybody starts criticizing us. I'm like, "You've got to be s******g me!"' At the time of the incident, the family had pitched for a science-based reality TV show, but it had been rejected. Mayumi later told investigators that her husband wanted attention to secure the show, and a runaway balloon with a child inside could be just the thing to clinch a TV deal. Richard and Mayumi eventually pleaded guilty to their crimes. Mayumi was charged with false reporting and Richard was charged with a felony count of attempting to influence a public servant. Richard served 90 days in jail, and the family was ordered to pay $42,000 in restitution for the emergency rescue efforts. The judge also barred them from profiting off of the incident for four years. The couple has maintained that the incident wasn't a hoax, and they pleaded guilty out of fear that Mayumi would be deported. In 2020, Richard and Mayumi were finally forgiven for their crimes when Colorado Governor Jared Polis pardoned them. 'In the case of Richard and Mayumi Heene, the 'Balloon Boy' parents, we are all ready to move past the spectacle from a decade ago that wasted the precious time and resources of law enforcement officials and the general public,' Polis said in a statement. 'Richard and Mayumi have paid the price in the eyes of the public, served their sentences, and it's time for all of us to move on.' The family has since moved to Florida, and a now grown-up Falcon has shared on his Instagram that he builds tiny homes for a living. Falcon owns Craftsman Tiny Homes, a family-run business in Archer, Florida, constructing several different models available for purchase. The tiny homes range from $25,000 to $79,000. He shared a video documenting the process of building a tiny home from start to finish.
The Sun
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Who are Richard & Mayumi Heene? ‘Balloon boy' parents who convinced world their son Falcon was trapped in an inflatable
BACK in 2009, Richard and Mayumi Heene were the masterminds behind a devious deception involving their son Falcon. They told authorities that the six-year-old floated away in a silver helium balloon shaped like a UFO — here's everything you need to know. 3 Who Are Richard & Mayumi Heene? Richard and Mayumi Heene were the couple at the center of the infamous "Balloon Boy" hoax that captivated the world in October 2009. The incident unfolded in Fort Collins, Colorado, when the Heenes claimed their six-year-old son Falcon floated off in a homemade, helium-filled silver balloon shaped like a flying saucer. On October 15, 2009, Richard and Mayumi alerted authorities and the media, stating that their son Falcon was trapped inside the runaway balloon. The spectacle was broadcast live, with millions watching as the balloon drifted for nearly two hours, covering roughly 70 miles before landing northeast of Denver International Airport. When the balloon was finally recovered, Falcon was not inside. Authorities launched a frantic search, fearing he had fallen out. Falcon was later discovered hiding in the attic of the family's home, safe and unharmed. Balloon boy lie unravels Suspicion quickly arose about the authenticity of the parents' story, especially after a CNN interview in which Falcon. When asked why he was hiding, the then six-year-old said: 'You guys said that — we did this for the show.' Investigators quickly concluded that the Heenes orchestrated the event to attract media attention and boost their chances of landing their own reality TV program. Influencer Haley Kalil aka Haylee Baylee breaks silence on sick death rumor with hilarious self-written obituary The couple previously appeared on Wife Swap, while Richard had pitched several reality TV concepts, including one about investigating scientific mysteries. Legal consequences Both parents eventually confessed to their roles in the hoax. Richard pleaded guilty to attempting to influence a public servant — he was sentenced to 90 days in jail and ordered to pay $36,000 in restitution. Mayumi pleaded guilty to false reporting and received a 20-day weekend jail sentence. The couple also faced eight years of probation and were required to perform community service. Motivation behind the stunt Richard is described as a self-styled inventor, storm chaser and aspiring reality TV personality. 3 He met Mayumi, originally from Japan, at an acting school in Hollywood, and they married in 1997. The couple ran a film-editing business and were known for their eccentric pursuits, including storm chasing and UFO hunting, often involving their three sons — Falcon, Bradford and Ryo. Aftermath Despite their guilty pleas, the Heenes have maintained their innocence, claiming they were pressured to confess under threat of Mayumi's deportation. In 2020, Colorado Governor Jared Polis pardoned both Richard and Mayumi Heene. The family has relocated to Florida. Trainwreck: Balloon Boy A documentary directed by Gillian Pachter revisits the notorious 2009 Balloon Boy hoax. The film is part of the Trainwreck anthology series, which explores headline-grabbing disasters and media frenzies from around the world. Episodes of Trainwreck started dropping on Netflix on June 10, 2025, with Balloon Boy available for streaming from July 15.
