The National Park Service is asking for the public’s to help identify those responsible for a recent forced entry and vandalism crime at the historic SF-88 Nike Missile Site at Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
The SF-88 Nike Missile Site opened in 1954 and was intended to protect the San Francisco Bay Area population and military installations during the Cold War, specifically from aerial attacks from Soviet bomber aircraft. It was deactivated in 1974 and handed over to the National Park Service in 1976. After a massive effort restore the base by volunteers throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, it opened for tours in 1995 and is currently open for tours 3 days a week.
Sometime between March 15th and March 19th the SF-88 Nike Missile Site was broken into and suffered extensive vandalism including spray painting hate speech throughout the building and spilling gallons of hazardous chemicals. The National Park Service suspects the guilty party/parties may have sustained chemical burns and may have sought medical attention.
If you have any information that could help the National Park Service identify the vandals please call or text the NPS tipline 888-653-0009, submit an online form, email nps_isb@nps.gov or simply call 911. Read the statement from Golden Gate National Recreation Area below.
Golden Gate National Recreation Area Statement:
The National Park Service (NPS) is seeking information from the public to help identify those responsible for recent vandalism and forced entry into the historic SF-88 Nike Missile Site at Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
The incident occurred sometime between the evening of Saturday, March 15 and the morning of Wednesday, March 19, 2025. An individual or individuals broke into the historic Nike Missile Site magazine in the Marin Headlands and committed extensive vandalism. This included spray painting hate speech throughout the building and spilling gallons of hazardous chemicals. The individual(s) may have sustained chemical burns and may have needed medical attention.
Information from visitors is often very helpful to investigators. If you took photographs or videos in the area of Battery Alexander or the Nike Missile site between the night of March 15 and the morning of March 19, or if you have any other information that could help, please submit a tip. You don’t have to tell us who you are, but please tell us what you know:
CALL or TEXT the NPS-wide Tip Line: 888-653-0009
ONLINE form: go.nps.gov/SubmitATip
EMAIL: nps_isb@nps.gov
EMERGENCY dial: 9-1-1
About The Nike Missile Site:
The Nike Missile Site is the most fully restored Nike missile site in the country. During the tense years of the Cold War, from 1953 to 1979, the United States Army built and operated close to 300 Nike missile sites in the United States. These sites were designed to be the last line of defense against H-Bomb carrying Soviet bombers that had eluded the Air Force’s interceptor jet aircrafts. SF-88 in the Marin Headlands was one such site. Today, Golden Gate National Recreation Area works together with a dedicated group of volunteers to preserve the site to remind visitors of the physical and psychological effects of the Cold War on the American landscape.
