About 100 minors allegedly trespassed into an abandoned San Jose theater with alcohol on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred at the Burbank Theater on South Bascom Avenue around 9:30 p.m., when law enforcement received reports that people were entering the building with alcohol and that loud vehicles were causing a disruption on Parkmoor Avenue, said Brooks Jarosz, senior communications officer for the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies found an open door on the building’s south side; after they made announcements to the trespassers, those inside tried to leave the building through other doors, Jarosz said. Several people were also spotted on the building’s roof.
The group of about 100 minors all exited the building and were detained by deputies, Jarosz said. The building was searched to check for remaining people or any weapons.
Authorities set up an incident command post at the intersection of Bascom Avenue and Parkmoor Avenue, where they contacted the juveniles’ parents. The minors were seated along the sidewalk to wait for their parents to pick them up; they were admonished and told to not return to the building, Jarosz said.
Authorities did not find any firearms, Jarosz said. There were no reported injuries.
This marked the fourth call reporting trespassing at the Burbank Theater this year, he added.
The theater, which has not shown films since 2000 and most recently operated as a dance studio, has been closed since its foreclosure in 2019. The building was purchased by Milpitas-based business executives in 2022 and has since seen multiple redevelopment proposals, including as a housing project and medical offices.
