Netflix releasing 'Balloon Boy' documentary 15 years after incident claimed international headlines

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DENVER (KDVR) — On Oct. 15, 2009, police chased a helium balloon flying over Fort Collins that could be mistaken as a flying saucer out of fear that a 6-year-old boy was inside.

The silver, helium-filled balloon attracted worldwide attention and was pursued by National Guard helicopters during its 90-mile journey across northern Colorado after the boy's father called 911, alleging his son was inside the balloon.

Now, the case will be scrutinized in a Netflix documentary set to be released on June 15, called Trainwreck: Balloon Boy. It's unclear if the documentary has uncovered any new details from the incident over 15 years ago, but the documentary joins a series that looks into some of the out-of-the-ordinary crime incidents that dominated headlines over the years.

When the balloon landed, no one was inside. The so-called "Balloon boy," Falcon Heene, ended up being found in the attic over the garage, hiding as the world searched for him. That made interested audiences wonder if the incident was all done in the name of notoriety.

Richard Heene, Falcon's father, pleaded guilty in November 2009 to a charge of attempting to influence a public servant, but was pardoned by Gov. Jared Polis in December 2020 alongside Heene's wife. Heene has maintained over the years that the incident was not a hoax, and truly believed his son was inside the balloon.

FILE - In a Oct. 18, 2009 file photo, Richard Heene's balloon is held for evidence in the Larimer County Sheriff's evidence area in Fort Collins, Colo. Pieces of the infamous flying saucer that starred in Colorado's balloon boy hoax are now available as trading cards. Michael Fruitman, the current owner of the balloon, struck a deal with New York-based sports and entertainment card company Topps to use a segment of the Mylar saucer for individual trading cards. (AP Photo/Will Powers, File)
The framework used to launch a balloon stands in the backyard of the home of Richard and Mayumi Heene in Fort Collins,, Colo., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. The Heenes reported that their 6-year-old son, Falcon, was on board the balloon. Falcon was later found safe. The story that the child had floated away in a giant helium balloon was a hoax concocted to land a reality television show, authorities said, and the boy's parents will likely face felony charges. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
FILE - In this Oct. 15, 2009 file photo, Falcon Heene, 6, front right, is hugged by his mother, Mayumi, as television photographers crowd around them after a news conference outside the family's home in Fort Collins, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
FT. COLLINS, CO - OCTOBER 15: Falcon Heene, 6, opens the door of his family home for a reporter October 15, 2009 in Ft. Collins, Colorado. Falcon was found hiding in the attic of his home after his siblings had erroneously reported that he was riding aboard an experimental balloon built by his father Richard Heene. The Larimer County Sheriff's department is reportedly preparing charges against Heene in regards to the case. Media helicopters, military aircraft and the FAA all assisted in tracking down the wayward balloon, the flight of which was broadcast live across the nation. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
FILE - In this Oct. 15, 2009 file photo, six-year-old Falcon Heene is shown with his father, Richard, outside the family's home in Fort Collins, Colo., after Falcon Heene was found hiding in a box in a space above the garage. Richard Heene, the Colorado father who pleaded guilty to a felony in the runaway balloon saga insisted in an interview set to air Friday that the event wasn't a hoax. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
FT. COLLINS, CO - OCTOBER 15: Falcon Heene (C), 6, stands in the garage where he earlier climbed up PVC pipes to hide in the attic October 15, 2009 in Ft. Collins, Colorado. Falcon was found hiding in the attic of his family home after his siblings had erroneously reported that he was riding aboard an experimental balloon built by his father. Media helicopters, military aircraft and the FAA all assisted in tracking down the wayward balloon, which landed in a field in Weld County, Colorado. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden speaks at a news conference in Fort Collins, Colo., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. Alderden said it was hoax when parents reported that their 6-year-old son was in a flying saucer-like helium balloon hurtling away from their home when he was actually hiding in the garage. (AP Photo/Will Powers)
Richard Heene, right, invites an employee of a helium tank leasing company into his house Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009 in Fort Collins, Colo. The helium company was to retrieve five helium bottles and a valve for the helium. Heene is accused of perpetrating last week's balloon boy hoax to promote a reality show. (AP Photo/Will Powers)
Richard Heene, right, and his wife Mayumi arrive at the Laramie County Detention Center where Heene turned himself in to begin his 90-day jail sentence on Monday, Jan. 11, 2010, in Fort Collins, Colo. (AP Photo/ Barry Gutierrez)

“We were in major ‘panic’ mode. It’s going to be good to put this behind us,” Richard Heene told FOX31 in 2020 after the pardon.

The Larimer County Sheriff at the time, Jim Alderden, initially said that authorities believed the boy had fallen asleep in the attic without his parents' knowledge, but later called it a hoax, saying that law enforcement was "manipulated by the family."

The Heene family moved to Florida from Colorado in 2010.