Trainwreck: Balloon Boy - A complete timeline of events

Trainwreck: Balloon Boy is a Netflix documentary film that explores the Balloon Boy Hoax, which happened on October 15, 2009. Directed by Hannah Poulter and Yemi Bamiro, the documentary explores the incident where a homemade helium balloon was released into the sky of Fort Collins, Colorado, by a couple named Mayuni and Richard Heene.

They claimed that their six-year-old son named Falcon was trapped inside the Balloon, which reached a height of 7000 feet during its flight of 90 minutes. Soon, the local authorities and the Colorado Army National Guard started a rescue operation. However, when the balloon landed near the Denver International Airport, investigators failed to find the boy.

Falcon was later recovered the same day, hiding in the attic of his home, and authorities realised he had never been in the helium balloon. Trainwreck: Balloon Boy made its release on July 15, 2025.

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What is the story of the Trainwreck: Balloon Boy

The Heene couple claimed that their son Falcon had disappeared (Image via Pexels)

As reported by KMGH-TV, on October 15, 2009, when the Heene couple claimed Falcon had been missing, they came up with a story in which Falcon's brother told them that the six-year-old had climbed up into the balloon's basket.

They provided a home video, which recorded the release of the balloon. As reported by Sky News, soon Richard could be seen in the video screaming in distress at not finding Falcon, and considering the possibility that he is in the balloon.

As reported by Thaindian News, the Heene family first reported the Federal Aviation Administration about disappearance of their son. As reported by the Toronto Star, they further called Denver NBC requesting them to send a news helicopter to track the present location of the balloon.

Authorities tracked the Helium Gas Balloon near Keenesburg (Image via Pexels)

As reported by Fox News, it was around 11:29 am when the 911 emergency call was made. As reported by The Press Democrat, the balloon was initially tracked passing through Weld and Adams County. As reported by USA Today, the helicopters tracked the balloon to the northeast of Denver International Airport, where the balloon landed around 1:35 pm.

As reported by CNN, when authorities rushed into the scene, the boy was not found inside the Balloon. Authorities suspected that the Trainwreck: Balloon Boy subject Falcon might have fallen out of the balloon mid-air. As per The Sky Channel, Weld County Sheriff's Office official Margie Martinez reported that the door on the balloon was unlocked.

(Image via Pexels)

Soon, search and rescue crews from Colorado started finding the boy. As reported by CNN, it was around 4:14 pm when authorities found the Trainwreck: Balloon Boy subject Falcon hiding in the Heene family residence. He was reportedly hiding inside a cardboard box, in the rafters of the garage. As reported by NBC News, the total cost for the search was estimated at around $ 40,000.

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Investigation into the Balloon Boy Hoax

The Heene family was brought in for interrogation (Image via Pexels)

As reported by Editor & Publisher, many people had raised suspicion that a balloon could lift a 23 kg child, and float it away. As reported by The Sydney Herald, when the Trainwreck: Balloon Boy subject Falcon, and the Heene family were questioned why they did not come out of the garage, he replied,

"You guys said that, um, we did this for the show."

As reported by Fox News, officials raised suspicion of whether it was a true event or a public stunt. As reported by The New York Times, it was on October 18 when officials suggested that the complete incident was a hoax, which was only done to attract public attention. Mayuni and Richard Heene only did it to market themselves for a reality show.

Trainwreck: Balloon Boy subjects Richard and Mayumi Heene were found guilty of felony charges (Image via Pexels)

As reported by CNN, it was on November 13, 2009, when Richard Heene pleaded guilty to the felony charges of trying to influence a public servant. As reported by the BBC, it was on December 23, 2009, when the Trainwreck: Balloon Boy culprit Richard Heene was sentenced to 90 days in prison, with 100 hours of community service.

Mayumi Heene received a sentence of 20 days behind bars, with jail-supervised community service to be attended two days every week. As per CNN, Richard Heene was additionally charged with a penalty of $ 36,000 in compensation.

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Check out our other articles to learn more details about the latest series on Netflix.

Edited by Bharath S