Previous Las Vegas UFO Sightings Resurface After Latest Video
Social media is abuzz this week with speculation about UFOs or UAP – "unidentified anomalous phenomana" – particularly over Las Vegas Nevada. A viral story took off this week concerning an alleged extra-terrestrial encounter in the city as well as numerous UFO sightings on the same night. With this and other stories in the headlines, previous UFO sightings in Sin City are beginning to resurface.
The story captivating stargazers right now started late on the night of April 30, when a young man named Angel reportedly saw a UFO land in his backyard. He has shared his story in his own words on YouTube while reports by local CBS News affiliate 8 News NOW have connected it with other UFO sightings on the same night. Meanwhile, a report by YourCentralValley.com takes a look back at the history of UFO sightings in Las Vegas and the surrounding areas. Some have used this extensive history to argue that UFO activity is rampant in Nevada, while others say that it is a sign that UFO sightings in Las Vegas are not reliable at all.
Of course, people are generally on high alert for UFO activity in the Nevada desert since the government facility known as Area 51 is situated there. The military began operating on the site in 1955 and urban legends about it cropped up almost immediately, though the government did not even acknowledge its existence until 2013 due to a request under the Freedom of Information Act. Local reporters say that UFO stories around Area 51 really began grabbing national attention starting in 1989, when the alleged conspiracy theorist Bob Lazar took his story public.
Lazar claimed to have worked at Area 51 on a top-secret project to reverse engineer alien technology covertly obtained by the U.S. government. His story went viral around the world, although it came under intense scrutiny in the years that followed – particularly when his background and education seemed to be at odds with his claims. Lazar claimed that the shadowy government agencies he worked for had scrubbed his education and employment history to discredit his story. You can learn more about Lazar's life in the documentary Bob Lazar: Area 51 and Flying Saucers, which is streaming now on several apps including Amazon's Freevee, Tubi TV and Vudu.
After Lazar made headlines, alleged UFO sightings got a lot more coverage in the Las Vegas area. In many cases, there were conclusive explanations that did not involve UFOs. For example, in September of 2019 residents when wild over strange blazing lights falling from the sky, believing them to be UFOs or meteors. However, 8 News Now was able to confirm that they were skydivers trying to make a dramatic entrance into the Sam Boyd Stadium for the League Cup Championship.
A less conclusive incident came in December of 2022 when residents saw some unusual lights in the sky directly over the city. Photos and videos of these lights went viral online, and the best possible explanation offered was a unique weather phenomenon caused by the relatively low temperature and low-hanging clouds. Meteorologists call this a "light pillar," when lights from the ground such as those on the Las Vegas strip are reflected and refracted by the clouds in odd formations. However, many UFO enthusiasts found reasons to suggest that this was not the case, and speculation continues to this day.
Speculation about UFOs and UAP has only grown in popularity in recent years since the military declassified many UAP sightings by its own personnel and acknowledged the existence of a UAP task force in 2017. It still operates today under the name AARO. "Area 51" is still in operation today as well, though the military and the CIA deny that any secret extra-terrestrial technology is housed there. The stories of Angel and whistleblower David Grusch are both still developing at the time of this writing, meaning that UFOs will likely be in the headlines for some time to come.