Balloon boy's father 'wanted TV fame before world ends in 2012'

Richard Heene, the man suspected of the alleged "balloon boy" hoax, was driven by a conviction that the world will come to a cataclysmic end in 2012, according to a friend. Mr Thomas's lawyer, Linda Lee, claimed: "Heene believes the world is going to end in 2012. Because of that he wanted to make money quickly, become rich enough to build a bunker or something underground, where he can be safe from the sun exploding." Mr Thomas's lawyer, Linda Lee, claimed: "Heene believes the world is going to end in 2012. Because of that he wanted to make money quickly, become rich enough to build a bunker or something underground, where he can be safe from the sun exploding.

It was the latest disclosure about Mr Heene's bizarre world view, which also allegedly includes a belief in aliens and UFOs.

The suggestion that the world will come to an end in 2012 is based on an interpretation of the ancient Mayan calendar.

It is also the subject of a soon to be released Hollywood blockbuster called "2012".

However, scientists and Mayans themselves have debunked the theory.

Police believe Mr Heene and his wife Mayumi planned a hoax in which an experimental helium balloon was "accidentally" released from their back garden in Fort Collins, Colorado.

They then claimed the youngest child, six-year-old Falcon, was on board.

However, authorities suspect it was a publicity stunt to gain attention for a proposed reality television show about the Heene family.

Mr Thomas said he had nothing to do with the hoax and didn't know about the balloon being launched until he saw it on television.

via Balloon boy's father 'wanted TV fame before world ends in 2012' - Telegraph.