ABCUPDATE: Phew! Falcon Heene was found alive and well hiding in a box in the attic of his garage, fearing he would be in trouble.
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For about two hours today, we were riveted to our TVs, following the fate of the boy in the balloon. While it turns out the child was not in the Jiffy Pop-esque craft, the drama for his parents continues as they search for their missing son.
And it's not the clan's first time in the spotlight.
Mayumi and Richard Heene and their three sons appeared last year on ABC's Wife Swap. Their network bio says the Colorado-based Heenes "live life on the edge. Wife Mayumi and storm scientist Richard take their three kids, Bradford, Ryo and Falcon, out of school to go on storm-chasing missions to prove Richard's theories about magnetic fields and gravity." Richard also maintains a site dedicated to his storm-chasing activities.
It is youngest son Falcon, 6, who was feared to be in the wayward balloon and who is now the subject of a massive search.
Needless to say, the celebrity Twitterverse filled with reactions and prayers.
"Where is the little 6 year old boy if he's not in the #balloon? The story is riveting and heartbreaking," Marlee Matlin says.
"Unbelievable," writes Soleil Moon Frye, while Ryan Seacrest says, "This is terrifying."
The Office's Rainn Wilson took a break from his cheeky tweets to type, "If this is real, it's a friggin nightmare!"
"God, Please help rescue this little boy floating in this air balloon. Amen," Alyssa Milano said. "I can't watch anymore."
"There's a kid stuck in a balloon," wrote Weeds star Hunter Parrish before the craft landed. "Like that movie Up. I always wanted to do that but I'm seeing now this is not good! Think good thoughts!"
"At the gym. Just looked up at the TV and saw BREAKING NEWS : BOY FLOATS AWAY IN BALLOON," writes Lauren Conrad. "What???"
(Originally published Oct. 15, 2009, at 1:44 p.m. PT)