Vegas Balloon Ride Inflates Security After Recent Hot Air Theft

On Tuesday, a “hot” hot air balloon – stolen from the Vegas Balloon Rides company a day earlier – was recovered in a vacant lot. The 16-passenger balloon is the largest in the company’s fleet, reaching nearly 15 stories when inflated.

In the wee hours on Monday, the balloon, worth $175K, was taken from the flatbed trailer it was stored on. The stolen property included a passenger basket and a 400-pound tank of flammable liquid propane.

The discovery of the balloon comes as a huge relief to Vegas Balloon Rides. According to company co-owner J.J. Padro Allende, it kept the business afloat. And the timing of the theft threatened Valentine’s Day, the company’s busiest season.

A lot of us depend on this,” Allende told KLAS-TV. “This is our livelihood.”

Vegas Balloon Rides co-owner Jean Francois Rigollet told KLAS he expected the balloon to be dumped “in the desert or a small street somewhere.”

A hot air balloon – especially one emblazoned with a logo – isn’t something that can ever be flown unnoticed. And, at 800 lbs., it’s not something that can easily be shipped to a winning eBay bidder.

The company says it plans to increase its security with better lighting, cameras, and tracking devices.

New Heights of Thievery

Believe it or not, hot-air balloon theft is a thing. In October, a “Joelly Bee” balloon was stolen from the parking lot of a hotel by the Albuquerque International Sunport – along with the double-door trailer it was stored in and the Chevy truck towing it. In 2019, a hot air balloon was stolen from Bloomington, Ind.

In both cases, the balloons were retrieved. The “Joelly Bee” was tracked to a nearby Albuquerque residence via an iPad left inside the truck by a crew chief.

Vegas Balloon Rides is one of four companies providing the same service to Sin City. The others are Las Vegas Balloon Rides, Love is in the Air Ballooning, and Adventure Balloons.