Adventure tour guide Sylvan Christensen said he and his friends are responsible for the monolith's removal.
New video has surfaced showing the mysterious silver monolith being carried away from its spot by four shadowy figures. The 12-foot structure’s discovery last month prompted a frenzy of visitors to the remote Utah desert where it was found.
Now, adventure tour guide Sylvan Christensen is claiming responsibility. He said he and his friends removed the monolith out of concern about the crowds flocking to the site and the potential damage they could cause to the environment.
"People arrived by car, by bus, by van, helicopter, planes, trains, motorcycles and e-bikes and there isn’t even a parking lot," Christensen told Inside Edition in an email.
The group posted a video showing the column after it had been dismantled, exposing the interior, with the boast: “We removed the Utah monolith.”
Photographer Ross Bernards told Inside Edition he happened to be at the site when he witnessed the removal.
“They were on a mission. They came out there to do exactly what they did,” Bernards said. “It just hit the ground with one of the loudest thuds I’ve ever heard.”
Bernards added, “One of the guys had said, ‘Well, this is why you don't leave trash in the desert,’ as they started taking it apart.” Bernards took the last known photo of the monolith before it was toppled. He said taking down the column looked “shockingly easy.”
But the biggest mystery remains: who put it up in the first place?
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