This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
This Santa Claus might want to stick to sleighs.
A man in a Santa costume received a wild ride Friday when the hot air balloon carrying him blew across Midvale.
"We got Santa back," said Midvale police Sgt. Torin Chambers. "Santa's fine and everything's good."
The Santa and a pilot were supposed to land the balloon at Midvalley Elementary School as part of a fundraiser. But the balloon landed hard and the pilot fell out of the basket, Chambers said.
With less weight in the basket, the balloon took off with the Santa still inside. The balloon traveled 1.7 miles before losing air and landing at Brighton Place Apartments.
Chambers said citizens were following the balloon and helped police hold it to the ground when it reached the apartments.
"Everybody was trying to save Santa," Chambers said.
No one was injured, Chambers said.