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Trainwreck: Balloon Boy is a Netflix documentary film that released on July 15, 2025. The documentary explores the Balloon Boy Hoax, which occurred on October 15, 2009, and gained national attention.
Richard Mayumi Heene from Fort Collins, Colorado, reported that a homemade helium gas balloon was released into the atmosphere, which had their six-year-old son Falcon inside.
The balloon reached a height of 7000 feet into the air, and soon the local police and National Guard opted for a rescue operation. However, after finding the balloon, authorities discovered that Trainwreck: Balloon Boy subject Falcon was not inside.
Falcon was found hiding in the garage attic of the Heene family residence. Richard and Mayumi were sentenced to 90 days and 20 days in prison, respectively.
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As reported by People, in the following years after the incident, the Heene family moved to Florida. Reportedly, the Heene family started a tiny home business and now runs their venture, Craftsman Tiny Homes.
What is the incident behind the Trainwreck: Balloon Boy documentary
As reported by Sky News, it was on October 15, 2009, when the Heene family reported that their six-year-old son Falcon Heene went missing, after the helium balloon was released from their residence.
They provided a homemade video where the family could be seen screaming in distress when Falcon was missing after the balloon was released.
As reported by The Thaindian, the Heene family first reported the disappearance to the Federal Aviation Administration. As reported by Fox News, at around 11:29 am, the 911 call was made.
According to The Village Voice, it was around 1:35 pm when the balloon was released near Keenesburg.
As reported by CNN, when the search helicopters followed the helium balloon and reached the scene, they could not find the Trainwreck: Balloon Boy subject Falcon inside the basket.
It was around 4:14 pm when authorities reported that Falcon was found hiding inside a cardboard box in the garage attic of the Heene family residence.
What happened to the Heene family?
As reported by CBS News, after the incident, news agencies began to question the authenticity of the Heene family's claims. They predicted that the incident was a complete hoax. As reported by The Sydney Morning Herald, when the Trainwreck: Balloon Boy subject Falcon was questioned, he revealed that they did it for the show.
As reported by Reuters, it was on October 18, 2009, when Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden announced that the Balloon Boy incident was a hoax, and the Trainwreck: Balloon Boy subjects Richard and Mayumi Heene would face felony charges. He said:
"We believe we have evidence at this point to indicate that this was a publicity stunt in hopes of better marketing themselves for a reality show."
As reported by CNN, it was on November 12, 2009, when the Trainwreck: Balloon Boy subjects Richard and Mayumi Heene pleaded guilty. As reported by People, Richard and Mayumi Heene appeared on a TV show called Wife Swap.
As reported by BBC, it was on December 23, 2009, when Richard Heene was sentenced to 90 days behind bars, with an additional 100 hours of community service.
Mayumi Heene received a sentence of 20 days in prison, with supervised community service of two days a week.
As reported by People, Richard and Mayumi Heene were ordered to pay a sum of $42,000. Mayumi was further allowed to remain at home with the kids. It was in 2020 when he received a pardon from Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.
Both Richard and Mayumi Heene had maintained their innocence until now, and will be featured in Netflix's Trainwreck: Balloon Boy. As reported by Mashable, the Heene family moved to Florida after the incident.
Their sons, including the Trainwreck: Balloon Boy subjects Falcon and his siblings Ryo and Bradford, started a heavy metal band. Reportedly, the Heene family currently works in the tiny home business, involved in Craftsman Tiny Homes, which is based in Florida.
Check out our other articles to learn more details about the latest series on Netflix.
