S.F. Beach Closed After Syringes Found

A half-mile stretch of Ocean Beach near Golden Gate Park was closed Sunday after about 300 used hypodermic syringes washed ashore after apparently being stuffed in wine bottles and thrown into the Pacific.

At least one magnum-sized bottle filled with plastic syringes with needles was recovered and individual syringes were found in the sand in a foot-by-foot search Sunday by U.S. Park Service Police.

A wine bottle filled with the used disposable syringes may have broken after it was thrown into the water and the individual syringes washed ashore, investigators said.

Several hundred people were asked to leave the stretch of beach between the Cliff House and Fulton Avenue, which forms the northern boundary of Golden Gate Park, while the beach was searched for more syringes.

Lt. Curt Shane of the Park Police said it was not known what drug or substance had been in the syringes.

The beach was evacuated “because we were concerned that somebody could step on one or get infected with any number of possible diseases,” he said.

After several hours of searching, the beach was reopened at 8 p.m., although another sweep was planned Monday, he said. Police recovered 280 syringes.