Roswell UFO Stolen From Museum, Teen Arrested And Charged

An iconic Roswell UFO was stolen by three teens On March 19. Last weekend, Newman Seely, 17, was arrested and charged with the unusual theft. However, his two accomplices are still on the run. The historical piece, which was made of fiberglass and metal, adorned the front of the UFO Museum and Research Center building for more than 20 years.

As reported by the Huffington Post, the Roswell UFO was damaged during snow storm Goliath and was in the process of being repaired when the teens snuck into the parking lot, loaded it into the back of a pickup truck, and fled the scene.

Unfortunately, the Roswell UFO did not quite fit the bed of the truck. Authorities found the flying saucer, which was broken into pieces, laying in a drainage ditch on Wednesday.

The museum’s interim executive director, Karen Jaramillo, said the Roswell UFO was built in the 1990s for just $500 and was a “historical part of the building.” She added that she initially thought it could be pieced back together. However, upon closer inspection, she realized it was broken beyond repair.

One of our spacecraft is missing! Flying saucer stolen from Roswell UFO museum https://t.co/8LbC21dlzk pic.twitter.com/vqcKrGk5Po

— CNET (@CNET) March 23, 2016

Karen said the incident was specifically disturbing, as the Roswell UFO was recently damaged in a storm and was in the process of being restored.

“We just had it prepared, and we were going to put it back up but we had it temporarily stored behind our building and they… some kids came and stole it.”

Representatives with the UFO Museum and Research Center said they will have to get a new Roswell UFO, as it simply cannot be repaired. Unfortunately, they are unsure how much it will cost. The museum owners hope they can replace the iconic spacecraft before the alien festival in July — when thousands of extraterrestrial lovers come to town.

Teenage boy arrested over Roswell spaceship theft https://t.co/VAOhll11fw pic.twitter.com/8k5ouY3SFe

— HuffPost Tech (@HuffPostTech) March 29, 2016

Newman Seely was charged with one count of felony conspiracy and one count of felony larceny after he was identified as one of the suspects in a surveillance video. The teen is currently being held at the Chaves County Juvenile Center and has refused to discuss the motive behind the Roswell spaceship theft.

The case gained plenty of attention because the UFO went missing in a town obsessed with rumors about aliens and flying saucers.

In 1947, an unidentified flying object allegedly crashed on a ranch in northwest Roswell, sparking years of conspiracy theories that the bodies of the dead aliens were immediately whisked away by NASA and stored at an undisclosed location. Alleged photographs of alien autopsies and a broken spacecraft have only fueled the myth that we are not alone in the universe.

Eric and Carolyn Jackson, who are alien enthusiasts, were shocked about the theft in Roswell.

“You think of things like that happening only in large metropolitan cities not small ones like this… People want to see these things… then you just take the spaceship away? That’s terrible.”

The Roswell Police Department used social media to raise awareness about the theft and asked residents for help in identifying the suspects who stole the iconic UFO.

In a Facebook post, a representative said, “Be on the lookout: Missing Spaceship.” Naturally, some users poked fun at the message, saying the aliens simply came back for what was rightfully theirs.

In another post on the Roswell Police Facebook page, Marvin Myers said, ” I don’t care for all this alien stuff here in Roswell, but this was just stupid, in a way this was an assault on every person in Roswell.”

In 2004, “Fred the alien” was also stolen in front of an alien store in Roswell. The 50-pound mannequin, made to look like a gray space alien, was abducted at around 4:30 a.m. by two men who just rolled him, and his wheelchair, into their white and brown truck and sped away. He was valued at $3,500. Despite their best efforts, the alien was never seen again.

Although the Roswell UFO was recovered, it was simply broken beyond repair.

[Image via Ursatii/Shutterstock]