XMN News, May 7, 2025
A former security guard at Area 51, the secretive Nevada military base long shrouded in UFO lore, has come forward with explosive claims of witnessing extraterrestrial beings and unidentified flying objects during his tenure. The whistleblower, Michael “Mike” Torres, 58, alleges he narrowly escaped an attack by an alien entity and claims to have seen Luis Elizondo, the former Pentagon UFO program director, at the facility in 2010. His account, shared exclusively with XMN News, adds fuel to the ongoing debate over what the U.S. government knows about extraterrestrial life.
Torres, a retired Air Force veteran who worked as a contracted security guard at Area 51 from 2008 to 2011, spoke to XMN News from his home in Reno, Nevada. “I’m not some nutcase looking for attention,” Torres said, his voice steady but edged with unease. “I signed NDAs, I kept my mouth shut for years, but people need to know what’s going on out there.”
A Terrifying Encounter
Torres claims his most harrowing experience occurred in late 2009 while patrolling a restricted perimeter near the S-4 facility, a rumored underground complex south of Area 51’s main Groom Lake base. Around 2 a.m., he says, he noticed a faint, pulsating blue light emanating from a hangar entrance partially concealed in the mountainside.
“I thought it was equipment malfunction or maybe a test gone wrong,” Torres recounted. “I radioed it in, but my supervisor told me to check it out alone—said it was probably nothing. That’s when things got weird.”
As Torres approached the hangar, he says he heard a low, vibrating hum that made his teeth ache. Then, he claims, a figure emerged from the shadows—roughly 5 feet tall, with an elongated head, large black eyes, and a gaunt, grayish body. “It wasn’t human,” Torres said, his hands trembling as he spoke. “It moved like it was gliding, no footsteps, just smooth. I froze, couldn’t even reach for my sidearm.”
Torres alleges the entity turned toward him, and he felt a sharp, piercing sensation in his head, like “someone was drilling into my skull.” He stumbled backward, convinced he was under attack. “I thought I was done for,” he said. “It raised one of those long arms, and I swear it was about to do something to me. Then a siren went off—some kind of alarm from the hangar—and the thing just vanished, like it melted into the air.”
Torres reported the incident to his superiors, but he claims he was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation and threatened with termination if he spoke about it. “They told me I’d imagined it, that the desert plays tricks at night,” he said. “But I know what I saw. That thing was real.”
UFOs and Strange Craft
Torres also claims to have witnessed multiple UFOs during his time at Area 51. On several occasions, he says he observed “saucer-shaped” craft hovering silently above the base, emitting no visible propulsion or exhaust. “One night in 2010, I saw three of them—discs, maybe 30 feet across, glowing soft white,” he said. “They moved like nothing I’ve ever seen, zipping straight up into the sky and disappearing in seconds. No jet could do that.”
He alleges these craft were stored in underground hangars at S-4, where he believes the military was attempting to reverse-engineer alien technology. “We weren’t guarding fighter jets or drones,” Torres said. “This was something else—something not from here.”
Luis Elizondo at Area 51
Perhaps most intriguing is Torres’ claim that he saw Luis Elizondo, the former director of the Pentagon’s Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), at Area 51 in mid-2010. Elizondo, who has since become a prominent figure advocating for UFO transparency, was reportedly involved in studying unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) during his Pentagon tenure.
“I recognized him from briefings we got on base,” Torres said. “He was with a group of suits, not military uniforms, walking into one of the secure buildings near the main runway. I overheard someone call him ‘Lue.’ He looked serious, like he was there for something big. I didn’t know who he was back then, but when I saw him on TV years later talking about UFOs, it clicked.”
Elizondo’s alleged presence at Area 51 has not been officially confirmed, and he has not publicly commented on visiting the base. In his 2024 memoir, Imminent: Inside the Pentagon’s Hunt for UFOs, Elizondo describes his work with AATIP but does not mention Area 51 specifically. XMN News reached out to Elizondo for comment but received no response by press time.
A Pattern of Secrecy
Torres’ claims come amid renewed scrutiny of Area 51 and the U.S. government’s handling of UAP-related information. In recent years, whistleblowers like David Grusch, a former intelligence officer, have alleged the Pentagon possesses non-human craft and biological samples, claims echoed by Elizondo in his book. Torres says his experience aligns with these accounts. “They’re hiding something out there,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s aliens or what, but it’s not ours, and they don’t want us to know.”
Torres says he was fired in 2011 after “asking too many questions” about the S-4 facility. He claims his personnel records were altered to downplay his role at Area 51, a tactic he believes was used to discredit him. “They made it look like I was just a gate guard, but I was cleared for high-level security zones,” he said. “I saw things most people wouldn’t believe.”
Public Reaction and Skepticism
The story has ignited debate on X, where users are divided. Some praise Torres for his courage, citing his military background as lending credibility. “If a vet like this is speaking out, there’s something to it,” one user posted. Others dismiss the claims as fantasy, pointing to the lack of physical evidence. “No pics, no vids, just stories. Sounds like another Area 51 tall tale,” another wrote.
Skeptics note that Area 51, while secretive, is primarily a testing ground for advanced military aircraft like the U-2 and F-117 Nighthawk. Benjamin Radford, a researcher of paranormal claims, has argued that UFO sightings near the base are often misidentified experimental technology. Still, Torres insists his encounters were not earthly. “I’ve seen our tech,” he said. “This was different—way beyond anything we’ve got.”
A Call for Transparency
Torres says he’s speaking out now because he believes the public deserves the truth, especially as congressional hearings on UAPs intensify. “I’m not saying I have all the answers,” he said. “But I saw what I saw, and it’s haunted me for years. If Elizondo and others are pushing for disclosure, then I’m with them. It’s time to stop lying to people.”
The Pentagon and Air Force declined to comment on Torres’ allegations, citing the classified nature of Area 51 operations. The SPCA, Torres’ former employer, did not respond to requests for verification of his employment.
As the UAP debate grows, Torres’ account raises more questions than answers. Was he a witness to extraterrestrial activity, or a victim of misperception in the high-stakes world of military secrecy? For now, his story adds another layer to the enigma of Area 51.
