The man behind the Area 51 has been revealed. Meet Matty Roberts. Roberts revealed that he is behind the viral Facebook event that has garnered more than 1.5 million people who claim they will storm the place to “see them aliens.”
The page description read: “We will all meet up at the Area 51 Alien Center tourist attraction and coordinate our entry,” according to the Facebook page. “If we naruto run, we can move faster than their bullets. Lets [sic] see them aliens.”
Roberts admitted that he initially started the group as a joke before it went viral.
“I posted it on like June 27, and it was kind of a joke… and then it just completely took out, out of nowhere. It’s pretty wild,” Roberts said.
“I just thought it would be a funny idea for the meme page. And it just took off like wildfire. It’s entirely satirical though, and most people seem to understand that. “Apparently, people are taking it seriously. I think they’re stupid if they think they’re going to get to the test site, but I’m gonna capitalize on it.”
Another creator is reportedly a 20-year-old from California who goes by the name Val. The man spoke to NPR in a video interview.
The Air Force, meanwhile, is warning people about storming the property.
“The United States Air Force is aware of the Facebook post,” Air Force spokesperson Laura McAndrews told ABC News in a statement. “The Nevada Test and Training Range is an area where the Air Force tests and trains combat aircraft. As a matter of practice, we do not discuss specific security measures, but any attempt to illegally access military installations or military training areas is dangerous.”
While we may not get to see people storming Area 51, at lease the story brought us some incredible memes.
Best of luck out there, folks.