The team behind a permitted 2026 Noah’s Ark study at Turkey’s Durupinar formation says its founder’s apartment was broken into and stripped of devices that could hold expedition data. The account and photos were posted late Friday by team member Lauren Witzke, who called it a targeted theft rather than a routine burglary.
What the team alleges
Witzke wrote that laptops, computers, and memory cards were taken from the founder Andrew Jones’s apartment, while items like a microphone and a printer were left behind. “They specifically knew what they were there for,” she said, adding that security cameras at the complex were reported to be down during the break‑in.
Claims of prior harassment
According to Witzke, after the study was announced, Jones began being woken between 1 and 3 a.m. by people pounding on his door, shouting profanities, and trying to get in. She said he was threatened with death more than once and that the team urged him to stay with a friend until the work was done. She also wrote that the man shouting threats through the door spoke English, which she cited as a reason she did not believe nearby villagers were responsible, saying locals benefit from tourism to the site.
Photos, reaction, and verification
Three images accompanied Witzke’s post: a branded graphic reading “NOAH’S ARK SCANS – FOUNDER’S APARTMENT RANSACKED, BURGLARIZED,” a photo showing a shelf in disarray with a tripod, papers, cables, and a microphone still on its stand, and a close shot of a shelf with few identifiers. The frames do not show visible structural damage. Online replies split quickly, with some offering prayers and others questioning the account, including demands for a police report and accusations that the story was a grift. Next News Network said it could not independently verify the burglary, the prior threats, or the reported camera outage. No police report has been made public. The only images released show the aftermath, not the act.
Team says backups survived
Witzke wrote that Jones had already copied research data onto memory cards he carried with him. “Andrew is safe, the research is safe, we are not backing down,” she said, also sharing a donation link and asking for prayer. She previously characterized the pressure on the expedition as “borderline demonic.” Next News Network founder Gary Franchi framed the episode in spiritual terms, writing, “Satan is working overtime at the moment,” while also invoking the biblical account of Thomas requiring proof.
As of publication, the team says the study continues.
