Area 51 is one of the most fascinating places on the planet, so the story of a man who made it out alive is certainly a compelling read.
Located in southern Nevada, Area 51 is often rumored to know a great deal about unidentified flying objects, with many more conspiracy theorists even claiming it's where the US government harbor alien life.
When Jerry Freeman visited Area 51 back in 1996, he wasn't exactly looking for UFOs, or projects the US government was hoping to keep under wraps.
Freeman was embarking on the wild adventure in the hope of finding gold, with the Californian anthropologist deciding to travel at night to steer clear of security patrols.
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And it was during one night on this week-long expedition that Freeman witnessed something truly shocking.
Freeman told journalist and UFO researcher George Knapp that a doorway opened up in the middle of the sky, letting out a blue light before closing and disappearing into thin are.
Located near Papoose Lake, a dry lake bed in Lincoln County, some theorists out there have suggested that the US conceals a secret alien spacecraft hangar called S-4 within the region.
Thankfully, Freeman has seen what's there first hand, and he recalled what he witnessed in conversation with Knapp.
He said: "It looked like a dry lake bed to me, nothing else, but at night it was a different story.
"I could clearly see what were security lights on the perimeters and I could see lights that opened and closed near the centre of the lake."
Freeman went on to say he felt similar vibrations to that of an earthquake, with the adventurer suggesting that something might have been tested underground.
He added: "It's something they're testing either directly underground or I was feeling vibrations completely from Groom Lake, I don't know.
"I think if they'd have caught me in there that they'd have lit me up like a Roman candle."
Around the same time Freeman made that incredible discovery, S-4 become a popular talking point due to claims made by Bob Lazar.
Claiming to be a former government physicist, Lazar said he worked on what was said to be reverse-engineering alien spacecraft and extraterrestrial technology.
The former physicist said the government recovered UFOs and made their own modified alien hardware in the late 1980s, and even went on national TV to speak about Area 51.
Nearly 40 years later, a lot of mystery surrounding Area 51 remains.
Topics: Aliens, Area 51, UFO, US News, Conspiracy Theories
Callum Jones