All for the videos: two minors break into abandoned Tivoli park to record content

Two 16-year-old tourists from Gibraltar were caught by a former Tivoli World worker as they broke into the abandoned amusement park in Benalmádena in the middle of the night on Monday, 11 August. The former employee, who has been working as a security guard in the past few years, alerted the National Police and the minors were taken to the police station.

Visiting an abandoned theme park might be a tempting idea for many teenagers, especially if they can record videos and brag to their friends and on social media afterwards. What the two 16-year-olds didn't know, however, was that Tivoli, which is set to reopen in about four years, has had security cameras since 2022. In addition, several of the iconic park's former employees provide security services and spend the night in the premises.

This is how the teenagers were caught around 2am, as they entered through one of the emergency doors and headed towards the Pasaje del Terror attraction. While they were recording videos, the security guard called the National Police, who intercepted the minors and took them to the police station. The teenagers' adventure lasted about 20 minutes, before their parents or legal guardians were informed of their trespassing.

According to the National Police, Tivoli's owner is not going to file a complaint, as it appears that the incident was nothing more than a break-in with the aim of showing off. When they were caught, the teenagers had already deleted the videos they had recorded, probably out of fear of keeping any evidence.

Now, the two minors will only be able to tell their friends stories about what they tried to do and how they were taken to the police station. What we don't know is whether there will be any punishment from their parents or legal guardians. Their social media followers might never know about the attempted feat, which was prevented by a former worker, who probably cannot wait for the day when Tivoli World will reopen after being closed since September 2020.