Overview
- Witnesses said a 28-year-old man was attacked near the Marriott at Marina Vallarta Beach on Friday evening and did not survive the encounter.
- An Orange County couple, Jamie Yetter and Chris Bury, raced from a hotel pool to the water and attempted a rescue with a kayak and a life preserver but were unable to reach the victim.
- Local search-and-rescue teams recovered the man’s body about 12 hours later and reported that the crocodile believed to have made the attack was located and captured near Boca de Tomates.
- Visitors and one witness said beach warning signs list crocodiles but the symbol was mistaken for an iguana and the shoreline was not clearly closed, with people back in the water by the next morning.
- Officials stressed that crocodile incidents are rare in the area but not unprecedented, and they told residents and tourists to avoid estuaries and obey posted hazard signs while authorities continue public safety outreach.