In one of the biggest panda stories to hit San Diego since the 1970s, a hot air balloon shaped like one of the cuddly creatures landed in a neighborhood in Del Sur Saturday evening.
Doug Kiviat and his wife Jane were taking their usual evening walk just after 7:30 p.m. Saturday when they noticed something unusual.
"Wow, it's a panda-shaped balloon," said Doug.
In the video shot by Doug, the balloon is seen barely missing nearby homes, trees and children.
The balloon managed to land in an intersection and that is where Jane says neighbors gathered to help.
"It was having trouble navigating, so we all started going beneath it and I began to direct it to this open field of grass," she said.
Doug said Timothy Chico, the owner of the balloon company Panda-monium of Del Mar, handed out cards to residents who helped out.
"He told everyone they meant to land there ... that it was a science experiment," he said.
It is not the first time this particular panda-shaped balloon has had issues. The same hot air balloon made an emergency landing just months ago near state Route 56 in Carmel Valley. That landing was also caught on video.
Doug said the main thing is no one was hurt.
"It's usually really quiet in our neighborhood. Now, we all have a memory we'll never forget," he said.