The apartment of Andrew Jones, founder of Noah’s Ark Scans, was ransacked [1] Saturday while his team continues investigating the boat-shaped Durupınar formation near Mount Ararat in Turkey.
The group believes the formation could contain Noah’s Ark from the Bible.
Noah’s Ark Scans has received permits from the government of Turkey to explore the site and conduct a deep core drilling survey.
The expedition is examining the origins and composition of the distinctive formation.
Jones recently announced what the team considers a major development in that work.
According to the announcement, researchers “struck a layer so hard that the drill bit broke,” raising questions about the belief among geologists that the formation came from a natural landslide or limestone block.
Third-party laboratory testing is focused on determining whether the material contains mineralized or petrified wood.
Such a finding could indicate that a wooden ark has remained buried at the location for thousands of years.
“I believe this is Noah’s Ark, that’s why I’m putting the Durupinar site through the most rigorous testing possible,” Jones said.
His team has continued pursuing its investigation amid the competing explanation that the formation is natural.
The expedition now faces a more disturbing problem away from the drilling site.
Lauren Witzke, president of Noah’s Ark Scans, announced Saturday that Jones’s apartment had been “ransacked and burglarized” after he left because individuals had repeatedly threatened to kill him.
According to Witzke, the threats began after the permitted study was announced.
She said Jones was awakened between 1 and 3 a.m. on multiple occasions by people banging on his door, shouting profanities, attempting to enter, and making death threats.
Members of the team urged Jones to leave the apartment and stay with a friend until the 2026 Noah’s Ark study was finished.
Witzke said he followed that advice and was away when someone broke into the residence.
“We’ve already said this expedition has come under attacks that are borderline demonic. But we still didn’t think they’d go this far,” Witzke wrote on X.
Photographs accompanying her account showed the apartment in disarray.
Witzke said the intruders took Jones’s laptops, computers, and memory cards, items the burglars may have believed contained evidence collected by the Noah’s Ark team.
She characterized the burglary as targeted because other valuable property was left behind.
“They stole his laptops, his computers, his memory cards, basically anything they thought he might have stored the Noah’s Ark evidence on,” Witzke said.
She added that the intruders “specifically knew what they were there for.”
Witzke pointed to a microphone and printer that were not taken as evidence that the burglars were seeking research rather than valuables generally.
She also said police requested security footage but were told the apartment complex cameras were down during the robbery.
She said the surrounding villagers had treated the expedition members well and benefited from tourism connected to Noah’s Ark.
Witzke also reported that the man who shouted threats through Jones’s door spoke English, and she said the incident did not appear to be local.
Despite the theft, Witzke said Jones had already made copies of the expedition’s material and taken them with him on memory cards.
As a result, she said none of the team’s research data was lost in the burglary.
“Andrew is safe, the research is safe, we are not backing down, and we won’t be scared into quitting the most important scientific study in world history,” Witzke said.
She asked supporters to pray for Jones’s safety and help the organization complete its mission.
Noah’s Ark Scans founder’s apartment ransacked and burglarized!!
We’ve already said this expedition has come under attacks that are borderline demonic. But we still didn’t think they’d go this far.
After the permitted study was announced, Andrew started getting woken up between… pic.twitter.com/SvCAVzqXbk [2]
— Lauren Witzke (@LaurenWitzkeDE) September 26, 2026 [3]
The group’s work at the Durupınar formation therefore continues despite the threats, burglary, and theft of equipment.
Its investigation remains centered on drilling and laboratory testing intended to determine what lies within the formation near Mount Ararat.