FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- A 6-year-old boy is floating over northeastern Colorado in a homebuilt balloon and authorities are racing to try and rescue him.
The balloon, in the shape of a flying saucer is covered in foil and filled with helium. It has a compartment for a passenger underneath. It lifted the boy into the air near Fort Collins Thursday morning after the balloon became untethered at the boy's home.
The father and son had apparently been working on the aircraft for some time.

Fort Collins police and other authorities have been alerted and Airtracker 7 has launched in an effort to locate the boy.
Airtracker 7 located the craft at 12:35 p.m. at about 8,000 feet in Weld County. It appeared to be slightly tilted.
Skies in the area are partly cloudy and southwest wind speeds are 15 to 20 miles per hour.
"It is believed the device could rise to 10,000 feet," said Eloise Campanella, Larimer County Sheriff's Officer spokeswoman.
Deputies from Larimer and Weld counties are tracking the balloon as it drifts.
FAA spokesman Mike Fergus said the agency has been notified and it was unclear whether traffic controllers had picked it up on radar.
The balloon may drift into air traffic control corridors used by Denver International Airport, based on its current location and direction.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/21306839/detail.html

It's on CNN right now. How do you not keep an eye on a 6 year old?

I can't help but to laugh. What a bunch of idiots, letting a 6-year old child alone in a balloon like that.

I laughed, too. My friend texted me and I was like "WHATTT?!" Honestly. Who lets their child alone around a BALLOON? And it looks like a UFO, ha. Ugh, stupid people, seriously.

Give it a few days. You'll see a news story from some hick town somewhere going on about aliens coming down and taking the form of children. ;D

That is actually hilarious but quite scary at the same time. So if they found it at 12:35 pm then why is he still in the air?

I don't think they have any clue how to get it down without harming the boy.

Ok now that is sad. I bet that little boy is scared out of his mind.

Poor kid. :'( I hope he's okay... who was supposed to be watching him anyway?!

Who knows about the atmosphere? Can a child breathe at 10,000ft with no protective covering?

Yes you can breathe at 10,000 ft.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/video/18205848/index.html < There's a video of the balloon. I still don't understand how your kid just jumps into a balloon, it becomes untethered and off he flies.

I don't either. It's kind of hard to be inside a balloon & untether it yourself.

You are getting the same amount of oxygen at 10000 ft as you are at sea-level. But at 12000 ft you are getting 40% less oxygen with each breath than you would at sea-level.

Well, they're already however high because they're in Colorado. They were talking about that on CNN. His breathing doesn't seem to be an issue, it's mostly how to get him down. It looks like it's already losing helium.

At least he'll have one hell'uva story to tell when he's older.

And what was the point of making it look like a UFO? Agreed that some little hick town in Colorado is gonna put stuff in those magazines and all over the internet about aliens coming down to get us, haha. :D

And wouldn't he be freezing?!

lol never mind. I read the end of the thread. xD

Haha omg so brilliant.

This family was featured on ABC's "Wife Swap". They are the Heeney family. They've just confirmed that the little boy is not in the ballon. I pray that he didn't fall out when it was at it's highest point...So terrible:-(

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/15/colorado.boy.balloon/index.html < What they've now said about the boy & balloon.

I hope he didn't fall out either. |: I still don't understand why someone would build something like that, fill it and leave it unattended?... |: Even if they told the 6 year old boy NOT to do something, of course he's going to. They're curious. I hope he's okay.

Why would anyone leave anything like that unattended? You lock that up, especially when you have kids.

The sibling is the one that said he was in the balloon. Now they don't even think he was in it in the first place. :| I swear, people these days.

Yeah, people these days don't seem to be very observant when it comes to their kids and parenting. Although, NOT ALL parents are like this, but MOST are. I'm almost 27, I don't have children yet. I know once I do, I will be protecting my kids, be very observant, and teach my kids manners and respect. I'm afraid to have kids. It is a huge commitment and I would freak out if I ever had a child missing, get hurt, or die. Parenting is a huge responsibility.

MOST parents are not like this, you only hear about the shit parents on the news..no one interviews a mom who is actually GOOD at being a mom.

What the fuck?

BAHAHAH The balloon came down and the kid wasn't in it.

What a bunch of retards, man. I love this story.