Mysterious Monolith in Las Vegas Mountains Triggers Police Warning
A mysterious mirrored monolith has been found in the mountains of Las Vegas.
A mysterious mirrored monolith has appeared in Las Vegas's mountains, sparking a police warning.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department shared an image of the shiny metallic structure on social media on Monday.
"MYSTERIOUS MONOLITH!" the police department wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
"We see a lot of weird things when people go hiking like not being prepared for the weather, not bringing enough water... but check this out!"
The monolith was discovered by the Las Vegas Search & Rescue Organization near Gass Peak just north of the valley, the police department said.
The police department took the opportunity to share some safety tips while the internet "gets to work on this mystery."
They reminded people to use the TRAIL acronym when doing outdoor activities—which includes tips such as telling people where you intend to hike or climb and bringing a first aid kit and plenty of water and food.
They also remind those exploring the desert to check the weather forecast and bring a light source and fully charged phone.
Newsweek reached out to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for more information about the monolith via email outside of regular working hours.
The first mysterious monolith of this kind appeared in November 2020 in a remote part of the Utah desert.
After that, several similar monoliths popped up across the U.S. and even in other countries such as the U.K., Romania and Colombia.
One of these monoliths was previously spotted in Las Vegas on Fremont Street in 2020.
The monoliths captivated social media, with many speculating on the origins of the objects. Even Jimmy Kimmel spoke about them in a segment on his show Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
Many theories have emerged, ranging from creations by concept artists to a marketing stunt to the possibility of alien involvement. The mystery of where the monoliths come from is yet to be solved.
The monoliths themselves vary in appearance: some are silver, others gold; some have a shiny finish, while others are matte.
The lack of uniformity has led some to speculate that the monoliths are likely made by different copycats inspired by the original one that first appeared in Utah.
The Utah monolith was removed soon after its discovery, with officials saying it needed to be moved to protect wildlife and the public lands.
Most recently, a monolith was spotted by a hiker in Wales, near the town of Hay-on-Wye, in March.
The hiker Craig Muir said he was "taken aback" when he saw the object and assumed it was "some sort of a UFO."
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