Calgary's balloon depicts a man floating above the city on a lawn chair

A Calgary man used helium-filled balloons to fly over the city on Sunday, risking his life to draw attention to his cleaning products company and land him in trouble with the law.

Daniel Boria pulled off a potentially fatal stunt by attaching nearly 110 balloons to a lawn chair.

“At one point, I looked up at the balloons and they took off, the seat was shaking and I looked down at my feet dangling through the clouds as the 747 took off and made several landings,” he said.

“It was amazing. It was the most surreal experience you can imagine. I was alone in a $20 lawn chair in the sky above the clouds.”

Boria, 26, was arrested on Sunday evening and released on Monday morning. He was charged with one count of mischief endangering life.

“I knew I was going to get arrested, but I didn't think they would pursue it as hard as they did,” he said. “I've never done anything bad before, and it was with good intentions.”

A lawn chair pilot who claimed to be a skydiver was attempting to skydive into the Calgary Stampede.

But the weather didn't cooperate and he landed a few kilometers away in an industrial area southeast of the city.

Boria said he had a sprained ankle, but no injuries thanks to months of planning. “We've made it as safe as possible for everyone else,” he said. “Our ultimate goal was just to put myself at risk.”

He said the stunt cost him about $20,000, including chartering a plane to fly around the Stampede grounds with a banner advertising the company.

“You could spend those marketing dollars on a billboard or an ad, or you could launch a balloon and jump. That sounds like more fun, right?” Boria said.

The police were not surprised

Calgary police, who were tracking Boria during Sunday's flight, were not impressed.

“I don't think any publicity is worth your life or anyone else's life and property,” said Insp. Kyle Grant.

The story continues

The misdemeanor charges are related to the lawn chair, which could damage or injure someone when the balloons explode and fall to the ground, Grant said. He expects additional charges to be filed under the Federal Aeronautics Act.

“I think it will be out of pocket. It would be cheaper to get a billboard,” he said.

“I know the courts will not take this lightly. When you consider the safety of people, especially when you're talking about hundreds of thousands of people out in the open on a single day. “This is not something that any justice will take lightly.”

A lot could have gone wrong, he said. “I don't want other people to imitate this because someone is going to get hurt.”

Officers confiscated Boria's video footage of the balloon flight along with his parachute. However, the seat and balls are still up in the air.

“We're keeping an eye on it,” said friend Conner Schauf, who said Boria had been trick-or-treating the day before.