By George Knapp
www.8newsnow.com
7-9-14
LAS VEGAS -- A tour bus carrying visitors to the edge of the top secret Area 51 military base has done something that many people have only fantasized about doing. It crossed the line and entered the base.
The driver and his four passengers learned a quick lesson about how serious Area 51 is about its boundary and its security. And the entire incident was captured on video.
In the 25 years since I-Team reports first put the once unknown base on the map, tens of thousands of curious people have trekked out to take a peek.
A few strayed over the line, on purpose, and were quickly scooped up. As far as we know, this is the first intrusion caught entirely on video and it nearly caused the tours to be shut down.
. . .on May 28, it happened to driver Denis Ryan and his four passengers, all of it recorded, inside and out. The video shows Ryan and group having a good time, zipping toward the edge of 51.
At precisely the wrong moment, one of the tourists asked Ryan a question about sports books. It was just enough of a distraction that he blew right past the warning signs, and kept on going.
After 45 seconds or so, Ryan started looking around, wondering where the cammo dudes were.
Less than two minutes after crossing the boundary, the passengers inform Ryan that a white truck is right on their tail.
“A gentleman in full military garb gets out. The one on the passenger side, he had a fully automatic rifle,” Ryan said.
Ryan says the military men told him he had crossed the line and was trespassing on a military installation. . . .
