Kriti Mehrotra
It was October 15, 2009, when the entire nation was left baffled to the core as a homemade helium-filled gas balloon shaped like a flying saucer took to the sky in Fort Collins, Colorado. This was an alleged experiment gone wrong by the Heene family, as explored in Netflix’s ‘Trainwreck: Balloon Boy,’ especially as they soon claimed their youngest was inside the vessel. What followed were extensive efforts to find 6-year-old Falcon Heene, but it turns out he had been hiding at home the entire time, which his eldest brother, Bradford Heene, didn’t know before he raised the alarms.
Bradford Heene Reportedly Truly Believed His Brother Was in the Balloon
Born on August 25, 1999, to Mayumi and Richard Heene as the eldest of their three sons, Bradford Heene admittedly grew up in a home full of affection, curiosity, as well as support. According to reports, his self-proclaimed inventor/sc ientist father always encouraged his kids to be inquisitive, chase adventures, and look deep into whatever they were interested in. Thus, of course, by the time they were out of early childhood, they were actively involved in homemade experiments, which their mother genuinely backed too, and that’s how they came to build the flying saucer in 2009.
As per Bradford’s own accounts, by the time he was 10, he was primarily responsible for videotaping almost every experiment while also keeping both his younger brothers in check. He has asserted that while the 8-year-old Ryo was not too difficult, the 6-year-old Falcon was a bit of a troublemaker since he liked touching or getting into things he wasn’t supposed to. This was to such an extent that the young boy even got scolded by Richard for playing in the hollow compartment of the balloon (for helium) right before its testing on October 15, 2009.
Therefore, when Bradford realized Falcon was not in their backyard despite being there moments prior, as the balloon got untethered and flew away, he screamed that his brother was inside. It took a few moments for Mayumi and Richard to take notice of this claim since they hadn’t expected the saucer to fly away and were furious, but when they did, they too raised the alarms. The police, local news, and national press all got involved within an hour, only for Falcon to turn up at home that evening – he’d fallen asleep in the garage attic while hiding there after being scolded. Little did either brother know that their parents would soon be accused of wasting resources, as this entire ordeal was deemed a hoax, but Bradford particularly feels regret because his reaction made the dominoes fall.
Having Moved On, Bradford Heene is Building a Legacy Alongside His Brothers
It was in 2009 itself that Mayumi was charged with misdemeanor false reporting to authorities, whereas Richard faced felony attempting to influence a public servant, to which they pleaded guilty. They were sentenced to 20 days of weekend jail and 90 days in prison plus probation, respectively, while also being ordered to pay $36,000 in restitution. However, despite their plea, they maintained their innocence, and they were officially pardoned by Colorado Governor Jared Polis on December 23, 2020. By this point, though, the Heenes had long settled in North Central Florida, where they were allowed to move almost immediately after Richard got out of jail in 2010.
Mayumi and Richard homeschooled Bradford, Ryo, and Falcon following the move because they wanted to help them avoid questions or ridicule related to the family’s past, and it worked out for them. That’s because although the eldest does feel some regret over his reaction, he has managed to move forward with the family’s support, so neither son is really bothered by the incident anymore. In fact, they are almost glad for it since it has enabled them to keep away from the traditional path and focus on their own passions, which just so happen to be in the footsteps of their father.
Richard is actually a big heavy metal fan, so Bradford, Ryo, and Falcon grew up on this music, just to end up developing an interest and eventually forming their own band, Heene Boyz. While the former served as the lead guitarist, the middle brother was a natural on the drums, and the youngest was the lead singer/frontman as they juggled both original music as well as covers. However, more recently, the brothers have taken the skills they learned while helping their father during his projects as a general contractor to establish their own business, Craftsman Tiny Homes – they reportedly launched around 2023. They are carrying on Richard’s legacy by tapping into a rather niche market in the hopes of building on it for years to come by offering high-quality custom tiny homes tailored to client-specific needs.
Bradford Heene Prefers to Keep His Personal Life Away From the Limelight
Despite the fact that the Heenes have been in the limelight for years due to the infamous balloon incident and recently even appeared in the aforementioned Netflix original, Bradford prefers to lead a quiet life. This 25-year-old actually isn’t active on any form of social media, and he even likes to stay behind the scenes on his business’ official YouTube channel – in fact, Falcon takes center stage there too. In other words, it appears as if the Gainesville, Florida, resident just wants to focus on his work as a tiny homes craftsman while also spending quality time with his parents, his two brothers, and his beloved dog Zinc. All we know about Bradford away from his line of work is that he is an animal lover, a parkour enthusiast, a hoppyist motocross driver, a traveler, as well as an engineer of sorts. Whether it be Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or South Carolina, Bradford has been everywhere in the past few years, and even a May 2019 motocross accident that resulted in him breaking his left ankle has seemingly not stopped him form pursuing the sport further.
Read More: Where is Falcon Heene Now? Update on the Balloon Boy
