Iconic Mission Peak pole cut down by vandals in Fremont
FREMONT, Calif. - An iconic pole that stood at the summit of Mission Peak in Fremont was cut down by vandals over the weekend, shocking hikers and angering park visitors.
The "Mission Peeker" was put up in 1990 and quickly became the most photographed spot in Fremont, symbolizing a successful roughly three-mile hike to the top.
"I have a picture from before when I was hanging from the pole and my mom wanted to take the exact same shot, and she was like, not today," hiker Deepa Bhatt said.
The Mission Peak Conservancy tells KTVU the more than six feet high landmark fell victim to vandals Saturday morning shortly after the sun came up. It was sheered off with the top half tossed down the hill.
Those who regularly hike to the summit said they were surprised to only see the base of the pole sticking out of the ground.
"I thought it was removed for some reason," hiker Brandon Castro said. "To find out it was vandalized, that’s kind of heartbreaking."
The East Bay Regional Park District said it is saddened to learn about the incident and that "any vandalism from destruction to graffiti affects what should be a positive, happy experience for community members to enjoy open space and the many trails in our regional parks."
The park district said it recovered the sawed off portion but didn’t say if the cultural monument will be reconstructed.
"It’s metal so someone had cut it with a metal cutter so you’d have to be crazy to hike that much and the do it," said Bhatt. "I just don’t understand. It’s kind of a bummer it’s gone."
Still, it hasn’t stopped some from venturing to the top and making new memories with the much shorter "Mission Peeker" marker.
"We were all like let’s take a picture with the little metal thing," said Mehul Williams who visited the park with his family. "That’s our proof we were up there."
Anyone with information about the vandalism incident should contact the EBRPD's Public Safety Department at 510-690-6521.
Brooks Jarosz is a reporter for KTVU. Email him at brooks.jarosz@fox.com and follow him on Facebook and Twitter @BrooksKTVU