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A group of residents in Nevadaclaims they have been left in the dark after a mysterious object of unknown origin fell from the sky and crashed just outside the secretive Area 51 military base.
Local investigative reporter George Knapp of Las Vegas station 8NewsNow reported on September 23 that an object had crashed to Earth. The crash has been “quickly covered up”, he claims, as the military’s official line that the crash was one of their own aircraft is “demonstrably false.”
Founder of website forum Dreamland Resort – a page where members of the public can comment on Area 51 and share theories – Joerg Arnu said when he was listening to radio communications, there was a sudden change in tone between military officials.
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A car drives with ‘Area 51’ written on the back before the start of a ‘Storm Area 51’ spinoff event in 2019 (Getty)
“I am listening to Area 51, and all of a sudden they got very serious and locked down the base,” Arnu told 8 NewsNow.
Arnu said he discovered the military had a significant and secret air operation in the middle of the night, but something had gone wrong. He said he heard repeated statements from military officials saying, “We just had an asset go down.”
Arnu added that this message was not from Creech Air Force Base, which is a separate and nearby base to Area 51.
“Then the next thing you hear, UAV, unmanned aircraft, unmanned aircraft with ordnance,” he said.
Arnu said quickly that, after those radio messages, it became clear that security measures were being implemented, which included locking down Area 51 and a large part of the Tikaboo Valley, where the base is situated.
The Dreamland founder concluded that an aircraft had fallen miles outside Area 51’s boundaries on public land adjacent to Highway 375, which is colloquially known as E.T. Highway.
Arnu, who had his home raided by federal agents in 2022, attempted to drive to the area but was stopped by an armed patrol.
“They had guns in front of them, not pointed at me, but very visibly in front of them, and it was clear they meant business,” he said.
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Area 51 blogger Joerg Arnu and his girlfriend Linda Hollow say they were left traumatised after federal agents raided their Nevada homes (Courtesy of Joerg Arnu)
He then went south on the highway to Groom Lake Road, where the base’s main entrance is, but sheriff’s deputies and military security also blocked it.
Arnu said he saw a military helicopter with an attached basket, which he presumed was ready to assist in cleaning up the wreckage. There was also a pair of porta-potties, which he concluded meant the team planned to be there for some time.
After Arnu shared details of the crash, people on the Dreamland Resort website discovered the Federal Aviation Administration had ordered the closure of airspace over a part of the valley.
Four days later, Arnu returned to the site and stated on his website that the Air Force had used heavy equipment to plow a dirt road across a section of the desert. He also shared an image of what he thought was the crash site.
Arnu claims that after he posted the photo, a second wave of cleanup crews went back to the site and used graders to cover the entire area with a thick layer of dirt.
Creech Air Force Base – which has fleets of Reaper drones and other UAVs – told 8 NewsNow that it was one of their aircraft.
A spokesperson said no one was hurt and no property was damaged. The station said the statement also said someone had been tampering with the crash site, scattering pieces of another aircraft and an inert training bomb, which it was now investigating alongside the FBI.
“That’s absolutely bogus,” Arnu responded. “I think that was designed to make people not go there, discourage people from going there.”
Arnu then drove back and said he realized the site he had first filmed was a staging area, claiming it was not the crash site, and instead stated that he saw telltale burn marks on Joshua trees 200 miles away.
He then said that he and an aerospace explorer found pieces of debris under the dirt that they believe were not from a drone. Arnu did not think the Air Force could have recovered the whole crash in that short a timeframe, so he accused them of adding dirt to create misdirection.
“If I was them, I would probably do just that,” he said.
The FBI investigation into the alleged tampering is ongoing. The Independent has contacted Creech Air Force Base for comment.
