- Title: Earthlings party at Area 51 as they seek 'the real truth' on alien life
- Date: 20th September 2019
- Summary: OUTSIDE RACHEL, NEVADA, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 20, 2019) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** NIGHT VIDEO: PEOPLE GATHERED OUTSIDE OF GATE TO AREA 51 U.S. MILITARY BASE MAN BREAKDANCING IN FRONT OF ENTRANCE TO AREA 51 BASE MORE OF SMALL CROWD GATHERED IN FRONT OF GATE TO AREA 51 BASE VARIOUS OF ARMED GUARD WITH DOG BEHIND BARRIER MAN PLAYING UKULELE (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRIAN BAKARI, 54-YEARS-OLD, FROM ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, SAYING: "The fact that so many people said they were interested and it made it worth while to come out but I don't actually think someone is going to do it (storm Area 51). Maybe if there were thousands of people maybe a point of percentage would actually be willing to risk their life but I don't think that is going to happen." (SOUNDBITE) (English) JASON STRAND, 23-YEARS-OLD, FROM UTAH, SAYING: "We came out to kind of see the dumb people make a run for it. I like my freedom, it is six months in federal prison and that doesn't sound like a good time or the fines either. No, we came out ... I've been out here multiple times before, this is probably my fifth time out here. They have definitely hyped up security, the fences are new, the police personnel, there is a lot of it." MAN AND WOMAN IN COSTUMES POSING FOR PHOTOS PEOPLE GATHERED FOR GROUP PHOTO IN FRONT OF ENTRANCE TO AREA 51 BANNER READING: "SAVE ET FROM THE GOVERNMENT" PEOPLE HOLDING UP BANNERS ATOZY, A 23-YEAR-OLD YOUTUBER FROM PHOENIX SHOWING OFF HIS SPACE SUITE FOR THE CAMERA (SOUNDBITE) (English) ATOZY, 23-YEAR-OLD YOUTUBER FROM PHOENIX, SAYING: "Why would you ever miss this. A bunch of random people in weird costumes standing outside of a government base, why would you want to miss that? It's like Halloween but we are just annoying people." MAN POSING FOR PHOTO IN FRONT OF GATE TO AREA 51 WEARING TINFOIL HAT (SOUNDBITE) (English) JORDAN HUTCHINSON, 24-YEARS-OLD, FROM UTAH, SAYING: "We heard about the event on Facebook a couple of months ago and we know that it would be a joke so we clicked that we would be going just for the fun of it but as it got more popular we decided hey, why not go down and make fun trip out of it. So we came down, we are going camping and we are going to check out the base as much as we can from here." VARIOUS OF POLICE ON GUARD OUTSIDE OF BASE (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARISA STRAND, 22, FROM NEW MEXICO, SAYING: "It's been fun, everyone has been so welcoming and nice and we got to meet new people. Law enforcement, you know, they are here to do their job and they are really nice and friendly." (REPORTER QUESTION: Are you going to try to make a run for it?) "No, I got sandals on." MAN WEARING ALIEN MASK AND PONCHO STANDING NEAR GATE TO AREA 51 (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOHN, 25-YEARS-OLD, FROM LOS ANGELES, SAYING: "I don't know how else to explain it you but I think if you witness it you will believe. There is stuff that is out there that is incredible that you wouldn't believe it if you saw it for yourself. And I am believer, there are aliens." WARNING SIGNS OUTSIDE OF BASE VARIOUS OF CHILD ON SEGWAY WEARING TIN FOIL HAT VARIOUS OF POLICE LIGHTS CROWD GATHERED OUTSIDE ENTRANCE TO AREA 51
- Embargoed: 4th October 2019 14:39
- Keywords: Area 51 Rachel Nevada Aliens
- Location: NEAR RACHEL, NEVADA, UNITED STATES
- City: NEAR RACHEL, NEVADA, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA001AXGQQFB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A call to "storm" the secretive U.S. military base in the Nevada desert known as Area 51 attracted several dozen revelers to a heavily guarded entrance early Friday (September 20), but most did not attempt to enter the site, long rumored to house secrets about extraterrestrial life.
A festive scene emerged around 3 a.m. PT (1000 GMT) on Friday (September 20), the date and time a Facebook user had jokingly invited people to run into the base on foot to "see them aliens." Among the UFO enthusiasts and curiosity seekers, one man wore an orange space suit and some sported tin foil hats and alien masks. A sign in the gathering read "Free E.T. from the government."
"A bunch of random people in weird costumes standing outside of a government base, why would you want to miss that?" said a YouTube personality who goes by the name Atozy. "That's a once in a lifetime experience."
One young woman ducked under a protective gate and was briefly detained by authorities and released. Others stayed outside the perimeter, according to law enforcement officials keeping watch over the crowd.
The U.S. Air Force had issued a stern warning to the public not to trespass into Area 51, which it said is used to test aircraft and train personnel.
Jason Strand, 23, said he traveled from Utah to the rural Nevada site as part of a group of nine friends to take in the scene. He said he was not inclined to dart into Area 51.
"We're came out here to see the dumb people make a run for it," he said.
Area 51 had long been shrouded in mystery, stoking conspiracy theories that it housed the remnants of a flying saucer and the bodies of its alien crew from a supposed unidentified flying object crash in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947.
The U.S. government did not confirm the base existed until 2013, when it released CIA archives saying the site was used to test top-secret spy planes.
The documents, however, did not end suspicion about space aliens there.
Area 51 sits about 12 miles (19 km) from Rachel, Nevada, a tiny outpost north of Las Vegas that is hosting a music festival to entertain any UFO hunters or others heading to the region. Some residents had urged the public to stay away because they worried the town of 50 year-round residents would be overwhelmed with unruly tourists.
As of early Friday, a few hundred campsites had been set up by visitors outside the Little A'Le'Inn, an alien-themed motel and restaurant that is Rachel's only business.
(Production: Krystrian Orlinski, Omar Younis) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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