A crocodile attacked and killed a 28-year-old man on a heavily trafficked beach in the popular resort city of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Friday evening, according to state government officials.
The man was “engaging in recreational activities” on the Marina Vallarta Beach, in front of the Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort and Spa, when he was attacked and dragged out to sea by the crocodile, said Izaías Patlán Núñez, a spokesman for the state police in Jalisco, the Mexican state that includes Puerto Vallarta.
The man’s body was located early Saturday, about 1,000 feet offshore, after an overnight search that included multiple law enforcement and rescue agencies, Mr. Núñez said. The crocodile suspected of the attack was apprehended nearby, he added.
Crocodile attacks in Puerto Vallarta are rare but not unheard-of, and fatal attacks are even more rare. In 2022, two tourists from Colorado were injured by a crocodile while swimming in the ocean at night. An 18-year-old woman from Northern California was also attacked and injured by a crocodile near the Marriott Puerto Vallarta in 2021.