Viral Area 51 raid prompts rival event: ‘Storm the Bermuda Triangle it can't swallow us all'
LOS ANGELES - Following a viral Facebook event purportedly planning to raid the top-secret military base Area 51 in southern Nevada, which attracted over a million people saying they would storm the heavily secure military facility, a rival Facebook event has started in a similar vein to storm the Bermuda Triangle because "it can't swallow all of us."
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Since the event was created on July 12, it has amassed over 40,000 people who are either interested or actually say they're going to descend upon the mysterious oceanic region where a number of aircraft and ships have disappeared due to alleged paranormal reasons.
In an attempt to storm the massive body of water in the Atlantic Ocean that has been long shrouded in mystery, the group says it hopes "to find lost pilots and the hidden islands in the mysterious triangle."
Anthony Dominick Carnovale, who created the event, says this isn't a joke.
Carnovale said that once the idea of storming the massive region reached 25,000 people he decided to start a Gofundme to raise money for an actual party in Florida.
The event scheduled for Oct. 1 at 8 a.m. says attendees are required to dress up as Spongebob characters or pirates, and that Carnovale will provide boats and scuba gear.
When asked if this was a serious event, Carnovale said "Absolutely."
"I'm contractually obligated to only use the money for the event. If I somehow can't, I have to give everyone their money back," he added.
Carnovale says he created the event out of concern that people will actually attend the viral Area 51 event.
"The Area 51 event is dangerous," said Carnovale.
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"I honestly just don't want people to attend the Area 51 event because I don't want people getting shot or arrested," he added.
1.5 million people have now responded to the Area 51 event hoping to "see them aliens," prompting an actual response from the U.S. military and even Bob Lazar, a physicist who claims to have actually worked with alleged alien technology at an adjacent site called S-4. Lazar said he doesn't support the movement.
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That event is supposed to take place on Sept. 20 at 3 a.m. in hopes of storming the top-secret base and uncovering the truth to which the U.S. Air Force responded in a statement saying:
"[Area 51] is an open training range for the U.S. Air Force, and we would discourage anyone from trying to come into the area where we train American armed forces," a spokeswoman said. "The U.S. Air Force always stands ready to protect America and its assets."
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While the proposal for the takeover of the mysterious military compound was intended as a joke, Carnovale worries people will actually show up.
"Not trying to be mean but there are a lot of… not so smart people who think that just because there would be a ton of you doesn't mean that A MILITARY BASE isn't gonna open fire on people for saying they're gonna break in," Carnovale said.
Instead, Carnovale feels a giant party with live entertainment is a much better, and safer, idea even if it means not finding all those missing pilots lost at sea.
"Live music, entertainment, beach party. Why not come to the Bermuda triangle festival?" said Carnovale.
Carnovale also says that any extra funds he doesn't use for the actual party will be donated to cancer research, saying that his grandfather died of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2017.
"I also want to support marine life preservation. That's why anyone who would like to help out with the event and like to perform for the cause is definitely welcomed." says Carnovale.