Richard Heene, the father of the "balloon boy," has mentioned he was planning to stage a media stunt involving a UFO, Heene's ex-business colleague, Robert Thomas, told The Today Show Tuesday.

Thomas, a self-described entrepreneur, said he reached out to Heene, who was uploading science-based videos to YouTube, earlier this year in the interests of collaborating on a reality TV show. Thomas said he had nothing to do with the alleged hoax or conception thereof, saying he was essentially an intern for Heene.

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• Balloon Boy
• Falcon Heene
• Richard Heene
• Robert Thomas
• The Today Show