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First Wave Of Naruto Runners Arrested Attempting To Storm Area 51

James Felton

James Felton

James Felton

James Felton

Senior Staff Writer

James is a published author with four pop-history and science books to his name. He specializes in history, strange science, and anything out of the ordinary.

Senior Staff Writer

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Melhijad / Shutterstock / Brian Reynolds / Flickr / Nye County Sheriff's Office / Facebook IFLScience

In case you've been living inside Area 51 the past three months and have been unable to see the story of the year, here's a brief recap. In July an event was set up on Facebook to "storm Area 51 and see them aliens". The plan was that on September 20, 2019, all of the members of the event would show up at the military base and "naruto run" at it, with the genius assumption that they "can't stop all of us".

It was a fairly funny joke, which then got seriously out of hand. First, there were endless memes that brought the event to everyone's attention. Then, before the organizer could say "it's a joke, please don't actually show up you'll get killed by the military", over a million people said they would attend. Eventually, the military felt the need to issue a response, and it even horribly affected PornHub searches.

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Now, with less than a week to go, there's slight concern that (though most people realize it's a joke) some people might actually show up. Especially as some people have already turned up and been arrested for trespassing, having made it about 5 kilometers (3 miles) inside the Air Force base property.

The Nye County Sheriff's Office confirmed in a video statement that they had picked up and arrested the first wave of naruto runners: Two young men from the Netherlands. They are, of course, YouTubers.

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"On September 10, 2019, the Nye County Sheriff's Office responded to the Nevada National Security Site for a report of foreign national trespassers," the Nye County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook.

Deputies found a car parked near a gate approximately 3 miles into [the property]. Both told deputies that they spoke English and had seen the 'no trespassing' signs but "wanted to look at the facility". 

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Twenty-one-year-old Govert Sweep and 20-year-old Ties Granzier, both YouTubers with hundreds of thousands of subscribers, were confirmed to be the pair.

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"It has always been a dream to be here, now to crazy recordings of crazy adventures and ... area 51 ..." Granzier had previously written on Instagram.

The arresting officers found several cameras, a phone, a laptop, and (why not) a drone inside their vehicle. Their cameras were searched, and footage taken inside the national security site property was found, shortly before they were arrested and charged with trespassing.

The two were released on $500 bail the following day. Trespassing on a US military base could result in a $500 fine or up to six months in prison. Or, as they likely have many guns on-site, potentially much worse.

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