Sheriff: Do not attempt to cross into Area 51 during music festival
Sep 9, 2019, 3:13 PM
In this July 22, 2019 photo, Grace Capati looks at a UFO display outside of the Little A'Le'Inn, in Rachel, Nev., the closest town to Area 51. The U.S. Air Force has warned people against participating in an internet joke suggesting a large crowd of people "storm Area 51," the top-secret Cold War test site in the Nevada desert. (AP Photo/John Locher)
(AP Photo/John Locher)
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LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Lincoln County Sheriff is warning people not to cross into the heavily guarded military installation known as Area 51 during any of the planned events later this month.
With just over a week and a half to go, the event first hatched by Matty Roberts to invade the desolate Nevada desert is moving ahead.
“I am trying to advocate against the storming as much as I can,” said Roberts in a recent interview.
“I just want a gathering of all these weirdos in the desert,” added Roberts.
The 20-year-old from Bakersfield, Calif., sent the internet buzzing earlier this year when he created the event to Storm Area 51 to “see them aliens.”
The idea has evolved into a three day music festival dubbed “Alienstock” centered in tiny Rachel, Nevada which has a population of just over 50 people.
“We don’t know whether there’s going to be 50 or 50,000 people, it’s a little difficult to plan for,” said Sheriff Kerry Lee with Lincoln County.
Officially, authorities are planning on estimates of up to 30,000 attendees.
“Our two big things are going to be medical issues, traffic issues and of course, it’ll be small, but an issue of people that try to attempt to cross the boundary of the NTTR,” explained Lee.
The Nevada Test and Training Range, home to Area 51, has long been the focus of military speculation.
Officially, the government tests specialized and secretive aircraft at the location and has done so for decades.
However, conspiracies surrounding aliens and secrets involving the Roswell, New Mexico, crash of 1947 has many wondering what else is so heavily guarded behind layers of cameras, fences, detectors and lethal force.
So far, at least 2,000 campsites, limited to 4 people per spot, have been purchased for Alienstock.
Authorities are concerned traffic will choke the two lane roads that cut through the isolated desert.
“We have accidents on that road, because of people trying to pass when the traffic is busy,” said Lee.
“I think traffic is going to be bad all the way from [Interstate] 15 possibly all the way to Rachel,” added Lee.
At least 250 first responders are planned for the event.
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