He asked his kid to hide in the attic, but instead the kid hid in the basement.
When he couldn't find his kid in the attic he assumed the kid was actually in the balloon, so he freaked out and started calling the media and authorities.
I'm not sure whether he originally planned to get the authorities involved or not. In any case he planned a hoax but it backfired on him big time.
He asked his kid to hide in the attic, but instead the kid hid in the basement.
When he couldn't find his kid in the attic he assumed the kid was actually in the balloon, so he freaked out and started calling the media and authorities.
I'm not sure whether he originally planned to get the authorities involved or not. In any case he planned a hoax but it backfired on him big time.