Two Dutch YouTube stars were recently arrested for trespassing at Area 51, a top-secret military base in Nevada, on Wednesday.
According to the Nye County Sheriff’s Office, Ties Granzier, 20, and Govert Charles Wilhelmus Jacob Sweep, 21, who are both from the Netherlands, were booked at Nye County Detention Center for illegally driving into Area 51.
The pair reportedly traveled three miles into Area 51 and disregarded the “No Trespassing” signs posted by the United States Department of Energy, Newsweek noted. Both men tried to go to the classified military facility at Groom Lake, which is known as Area 51. Granzier’s Instagram showed pictures of the pair’s trip in Nevada before they arrived at Area 51.
Authorities found Granzier and Sweep parked near a gate with a drone, camera equipment, and a laptop. Both men told officials that even though they were aware of the “No Trespassing” signs, they still wanted to venture to the site. The Nye County Sheriff’s Office, which works with the military to handle arrests at the Area 51 site, said Granzier and Sweep agreed to let police search their phones. The duo reportedly took footage at the Area 51 site, which is not accessible to the public.
Granzier and Sweep both have over 200,000 followers on their YouTube channels: Granzier, who has roughly 308,000 subscribers, is known for his videos of abandoned sites, while Sweep, who is followed by approximately 700,000 subscribers, is more focused on DIY projects.
Earlier this summer, a mock Facebook event called “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us,” generated more than one million “interested” or “going” responses from alien-obsessed fans. Even though the September 20 event was a hoax, the U.S. military and authorities have warned people to not visit the confidential area.
“It sounded like there were definitely some ties to that,” Captain David Boruchowitz of the Nye County Sheriff’s Office told Newsweek, referring to the pair’s potential motives for going to Area 51. “Stay away from the test site, please, for everybody’s sake.”
On Thursday, Granzier and Sweep were released on a $500 bail. Their next scheduled court date is September 16 at the Beatty Justice Court in Beatty, Nevada.
More on Geek.com:
- ‘Storm Area 51’ Creator Parts Ways With Alien-Themed Festival in Nevada
- Nearly 300K Alien Fans Sign Up to ‘Raid Area 51’ for Joke Facebook Event
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