Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Dutch YouTuber arrested on trespassing charge at Nevada security site

Ties Granzier

Ties Granzier

Govert Charles Wilhelmus Jacob Sweep

Govert Charles Wilhelmus Jacob Sweep

Equipped with recording equipment, two nationals from the Netherlands were arrested Tuesday, about 3 miles into the Nevada National Security Site, according to the Nye County Sheriff’s Office.

Govert Charles Wilhelmus Jacob Sweep, 21, and Ties Granzier, 20 — a self-described “YouTuber” — were jailed on counts of trespassing, the Sheriff’s Office announced today.

Both told authorities that they comprehend English, thus understanding signs to deter unwanted visitors, but that they wanted to check out the site, which is about 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Authorities spotted their car parked near a gate at the Mercury Highway entrance, about 3 miles into the site, the Sheriff’s Office said.

A search of the vehicle yielded cameras, a laptop and a drone, the Sheriff’s Office said. Investigators found footage that had been shot at the federal site.

A pair of YouTube accounts that apparently belong to Granzier have more than 1 million followers combined. On Tuesday, on his verified Instagram page — which has more than 400,000 followers — he posted from Hoover Dam.

“It has always been a dream to be here. Now, to crazy recordings of crazy adventures and ... Area 51.”