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In October 2009, a homemade silver balloon drifted across the Colorado sky as the entire country watched in horror. Authorities feared a six-year-old boy was trapped inside as news helicopters followed the balloon live. What began as a terrifying rescue mission quickly became one of the most infamous media moments of the 2000s.

In this episode of True Crime Teacher Time, we talk about the Balloon Boy case exactly as the world experienced it, moment by moment, saving the shocking truth for the very end. Along the way, we unpack the media panic it created and how this case could have happened in today’s TikTok era.

References:

“The Balloon Boy Hoax and the True Story Behind the Incident.” ATI (2025)

“10 Years Later, ‘Balloon Boy’ and his Family Still Denounce Idea that it was a Hoax.” ABC News (2019)

“Balloon Boy Charges May Not Come Until Next Week.” The Press Democrat (2019)

“‘Balloon Boy’ Parents Plead Guilty.” CNN (2010)

“Richard and Mayumi Heene: Where are the Balloon Boy’s Parents Today?” Moviedelic (2025)

“Feared Lost in Balloon, Boy Found at Home.” NBC News (2009)

Today, Tori and MyKenna discuss the Sherri Papini story – where an extensive search was conducted to find a missing woman. Upon her return, the investigators begin to uncover her strange disappearance. Follow along as the girls discuss alternate lives, an ever changing disappearance, and what kind of meetings they wouldn’t second guess skipping.

References:

“Kidnapping, Reverse Ransom and a Bounty: The Strange Case of Sherri Papini.” The Guardian (2016)

“Sherri Papini Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison in Hoax Kidnapping Case.” ABC News (2022)
“Sherri Papini, Convicted of Faking Her Own Kidnapping, Again Claims She Was Kidnapped.” NBCNews.Com (2025)

“Sherri Papini Accused of Faking 2016 Kidnapping, Lying to FBI.” KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco (2022)

“Where Is Sherri Papini Now, 9 Years after Kidnapping Hoax? Inside Her Life Today.” People.Com (2025)

“Missing Northern California Mother Found Safe.” CNN (2016)

Sherri Papini Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Lying to Federal Agents about Being Kidnapped and Defrauding the California Victim Compensation Board.” Eastern District of California (2022)

In this episode, two teachers and a guest kick things off with a classroom icebreaker before diving into one of New York’s strangest crime sprees. In the early 2000s, a masked figure dressed entirely in black and silently entered homes across Staten Island, often while residents were inside. We tell the story of the burglaries and the fear that spread through the community.

References:

“History of the ‘Ninja Burglar’ Crime Spree in Staten Island”Silive.com (2016)

“His fight with the ‘Ninja Burglar’” Silive.com (2007)

“Staten Island ‘Ninja Burglar’ Captured” Silive.com (2008)

“Official Press Release: ‘Ninja Burglar’ Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison” Staten Island District Attorney’s Office (2018)

“‘Ninja Burglar’ in Custody After a Decade of Break-Ins” NBC New York (2016)