Tourist killed by crocodile at Puerto Vallarta beach

A man visiting Puerto Vallarta was killed by a crocodile Friday night, prompting warnings from other tourists about safety in the Mexican beach town. 

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According to Jalisco state authorities, a 28-year-old man visiting from Mexico City was on the Marina Vallarta Beach at approximately 6:30 p.m. Friday. At the nearby Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort and Spa, a family from San Clemente, Calif., was enjoying the pool facilities when they heard screaming coming from the beach. 

Jamie Yetter and her fiance Chris Bury ran from the pool toward the water, assuming the man was caught in a rip tide, the couple told CBS LA. Bury quickly found a kayak and began heading toward the man, only to realize a crocodile was also in the water. Bury told CBS LA that he tried to throw a life preserver to the man, but the man appeared to be in shock and couldn’t grab it. The crocodile dragged the man down into the water, and Bury said he never saw him resurface. 

Search and rescue teams were sent into the area to locate the animal and the missing man. On Saturday, the crocodile was located near Boca de Tomates, just up the beach from where the man was attacked. The man’s body was also found and recovered, local authorities said. 

“They didn’t tell anyone it was dangerous,” Yetter told CBS LA. “They didn’t tell us we shouldn’t go swimming. Even the next morning, I walked down to the ocean. I assumed the beach would be closed. The beach wasn’t closed.”

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While crocodile attacks are exceedingly rare in Puerto Vallarta, they aren’t unprecedented. In 2022, two Colorado tourists were bitten by a crocodile while visiting the area. 

Puerto Vallarta media outlets reported that authorities are asking people to be cautious in places where crocodiles are known to be present, especially near river mouths and estuaries.