A 28-year-old man tragically lost his life to a crocodile attack at a popular beach in Puerto Vallarta on Friday night, as a family from San Clemente attempted to save him, according to witnesses and officials.
The incident unfolded at Marina Vallarta Beach, close to the Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort and Spa, around 6:30 p.m. Authorities from Jalisco state have confirmed that the victim was a local man present at the resort for work.
His body was found approximately 12 hours later, early Saturday morning.
Jamie Yetter, her fiancé Chris Berry, and their teenage daughter were by the hotel pool when they heard the alarming screams from the beach.
“I assumed someone was caught in a rip current, so Chris went towards the water, and I quickly followed,” Yetter recounted.
Berry, acting on instinct, hopped into a kayak without a paddle, trying to get closer to the man in distress.
“We were really scrambling; there wasn’t much on the beach to aid us,” he shared. “I was still in the kayak when he was pulled under.”
Despite their best efforts, the Orange County family’s intervention was sadly not enough.
Yetter noted that nearby signs warned about jellyfish, stingrays, and crocodiles, but they initially mistook the crocodile image for an iguana.
Additionally, by Saturday morning, it was reported that another beachgoer was seen swimming in the very same area with their family.
This location had previously been the site of another crocodile attack in 2022, which injured two tourists from Colorado.
The Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa has yet to issue any statement regarding this incident.
