Research equipment was the apparent target
Andrew Jones, founder of Noah’s Ark Scans, was away from his apartment when it was ransacked, according to Lauren Witzke, the group’s president. Witzke said Jones had left after repeated nighttime threats, and that intruders then took his laptops, computers, and memory cards. A microphone, printer, and other ordinary items were reportedly left behind. That selective haul led the team to describe the incident as a targeted effort to find research. It is a serious allegation, but the material available does not identify a suspect or provide an independent police finding.
Threats came before the break-in
Witzke said Jones had been woken more than once between 1 and 3 a.m. by people banging on his door, yelling profanities, trying to get inside, and threatening to kill him. The team advised him to leave and stay with a friend while the study continued, and he did so. Witzke also said the man making threats spoke English, while villagers near the research site had treated the team well and benefited from tourism connected to Noah’s Ark. Those details explain the team’s suspicions, but they do not establish who was responsible. Witzke said police requested security footage but were told the apartment complex cameras were down during the burglary. That leaves an obvious question and, conveniently, less video evidence to answer it.
Permits and a broken drill bit
Noah’s Ark Scans says it received permits from the Turkish government to explore the Durupınar formation near Mount Ararat and conduct a deep-core drilling survey. The team describes a broken drill bit as a major development after it struck a layer so hard that the bit failed. In the group’s view, that finding challenges the long-held geological explanation that the formation is a natural landslide or limestone block. Third-party lab testing is being pursued for mineralized or petrified wood, which could indicate that wooden material has been buried for thousands of years. Jones said, “I believe this is Noah’s Ark, that’s why I’m putting the Durupinar site through the most rigorous testing possible.” A broken drill bit is a lead, not proof. Science, inconveniently, still insists on test results.
Backups kept the research intact
Witzke said Jones had already made copies of the research and stored them on memory cards, with copies taken away from the apartment. She said none of the data was lost and that Jones is safe. The group has said it will not abandon the expedition because of the break-in. Whether the Durupınar formation is connected to the biblical account of Noah’s Ark remains unsettled, and the promised lab work will matter more than dramatic claims from either side. For now, the team says its research remains available and its permitted study is continuing.
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