Dreamland Webmaster Was at Area 51 with Drone Before FBI Raid

Law enforcement was dispatched to a report in May 2022 of a film crew with a drone at the gate of the Nevada Test and Training Range, popularly known as Area 51. The responding deputy encountered Joerg Arnu, operator of the Dreamland Resort website, along with three men with German passports, according to records recently obtained from the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office. The incident took place less than six months before the widely reported raids of two properties owned by Arnu.

Area 51 gate. Photo credit: David James Henry

“They did have a drone and admitted to filming in the area,” the deputy documented in the incident report, “but denied flying the drone.” The four men eventually left the area without incident after base personnel declined to provide a written statement or surveillance footage that might suggest the drone illegally crossed a boundary.

The Dreamland Resort website states it is operated from a property bordering Area 51, a secure U.S. Air Force facility with a rich history in UFO and alien lore. Arnu is described as a 25-year Area 51 research veteran. The website boasts it is the number one source for information on Area 51, black projects and the Nellis Air Force Base ranges.

In November 2022, two properties owned by Arnu were served search warrants, apparently jointly carried out between the FBI and Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Expensive electronic equipment was taken into evidence during the raids, according to news reports quoting Arnu. He was reportedly told the search was related to images posted on his Area 51 website.

Arnu claims the law enforcement actions violated his rights. He further framed the circumstances as “a message to silence the Area 51 research community.” He does not, however, include the story of the interaction with the sheriff's office, involving foreign nationals carrying a drone around the border of Area 51, among the items posted at Dreamland Resort.

A Go Fund Me page was set up to raise money to replace confiscated equipment, repair damages to his homes and cover legal expenses. To date, the page has received pledges totaling almost $20,000.

EFR sent messages to Joerg Arnu through Dreamland Resort website and the Go Fund Me page, offering him opportunities to comment for potential inclusion in this blogpost, particularly about the records obtained from the sheriff's office. No responses were received.

Depictions of the search warrants dated Nov. 2, 2022, and linked through Dreamland Resort indicate FBI and AFOSI were involved in executing the warrants and conducting property searches (see the screenshots below). All of the circumstances surrounding how the depicted warrants were prepared for posting are not clear, however, as they contain redactions of select passages and sections, including material seized into evidence.

From the search warrants:

Further example of redactions in depictions of the search warrants shared but not fully explained by Dreamland Resort:

FBI responded to FOIA requests submitted by EFR on Dreamland Resort that it was unable to identify records subject to the Freedom of Information and Privacy Acts that are responsive to the requests. It should be noted that does not necessarily indicate FBI records do not exist pertaining to searches of properties owned by Arnu and related investigations. A digital image linked through Dreamland Resort of a December 2022 FBI response to a request submitted on Joerg Arnu states responsive material is not subject to release per FOIA Exemption (b)(7)(A), records compiled for law enforcement purposes, disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to interfere with proceedings.

A second incident report responsive to Dreamland Resort was obtained from Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, dated January 2023, a couple months after the search warrants were served. The report documented how a series of apparent misunderstandings experienced by Arnu included him calling the sheriff's office to register a complaint about people he perceived were circling his property in a truck and filming. He reported he was in fear for his safety.

Arnu placed a second call after following and confronting the perceived perpetrators. A responding deputy determined the people, which included a man and his daughters the officer recognized, had likely been on Arnu's street for reasons other than his property. They did seem prone to recording on their phone cameras, which the officer pointed out to Arnu was not against the law. Arnu reportedly told the deputy he thought somebody from the Little A'Le'Inn bar had been sent to harass and film him.

“Arnu did not like the idea of people driving by his home and filming his property,” the officer noted.

Protesters gather outside an Area 51 gate during "Storm Area 51." Photo credit: David James Henry

In related news, an incident report was obtained from Lincoln County Sheriff's Office pertaining to the 2019 event, Storm Area 51 – They Can't Stop All of Us. As widely reported in the media, the event began as a Facebook post by Matty Roberts, encouraging a mob-like incursion of the Air Force base. As the post gained attention and momentum, it was promoted by dubious UAP influencer Jeremy Corbell.

On Sep. 20, 2019, the day of the event, the sheriff's office responded to a trespassing call from Nevada Test and Training Range. The responding deputy found two young men detained by base security, their Jeep with Utah plates parked just inside a “No Trespassing” sign.

The two were charged with trespassing and transferred to a mobile detention center set up at the nearby Hiko Fire Station as a result of the scheduled Storm Area 51 event. According to the incident report, both men acknowledged they knew they were trespassing and apologized. They gave law enforcement permission to examine their cell phones, one of which contained a photo of a “No Trespassing” sign and a video reportedly recorded inside the base boundary. The video was deleted. The two posted bail, were released, and were provided a ride to the location to which their Jeep was towed.