Crocodile attack kills man at Puerto Vallarta beach

A 28-year-old man was killed in a crocodile attack at a popular beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Friday evening. The victim, a Mexican national who was in the resort town for work, was attacked at Marina Vallarta Beach near the Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort and Spa around 6:30 p.m. local time.

A couple from San Clemente, California, Jamie Yetter and her fiancé Chris Bury, witnessed the attack while relaxing with Yetter’s teenage daughter at the hotel pool. They heard screams and rushed to the shoreline, initially believing the man was caught in a rip current. Bury attempted to throw a life preserver to the victim but said the man appeared to be in shock and was unresponsive.

When a kayak was brought to the beach, Bury climbed aboard without paddles in a desperate attempt to reach the swimmer. He described arriving just as the man was pulled beneath the surface by the reptile. "I was on the kayak right when he got pulled under," Bury said. "He went down, and then, at that point, he stayed down. So I was over top of him, but the water was so murky, and you couldn't even see a foot down. So by the time I got to him, it was unfortunately too late."