Residents and visitors in Mexico have spoken of scenes they describe as “heartbreaking” after a sudden outbreak of violence swept across several states, following actions by one of the country’s most feared criminal groups.
The unrest began after Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, widely known as El Mencho and regarded as Mexico’s most wanted fugitive, was killed during a security operation on Sunday. Oseguera Cervantes was the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of the most powerful criminal organisations in the country.
Videos captured by residents and tourists showed vehicles engulfed in flames and thick smoke billowing over towns and cities, including the popular Pacific coast resort of Puerto Vallarta.
Jerry Jones, a Nashville native who has lived in Puerto Vallarta for more than four years, told BBC News that the violence was unlike anything he had experienced before. He said he usually felt safer in the Mexican resort than in his hometown in the United States.
Jones owns the LGBT+ lifestyle magazine Out and About Puerto Vallarta and moved to Mexico after retiring from his job in the U.S. He said the friendliness of the community, the walkable streets and the general quality of life were what originally drew him to the city.
“I love the people here, I love the walkability of the city, how nice everyone is. It’s a beautiful and fantastic place, and that’s what encouraged me to come here,” he said.
According to Jones, residents were taken completely by surprise early on Sunday when reports emerged of El Mencho’s death and the violence that followed.
“The first sign we had that something was wrong was when one of our readers sent us a video showing a bus being set on fire,” he explained.
Within minutes, he said smoke was visible “all the way across the city”.
Jones described how vehicles were deliberately positioned across roads and then set alight. At one nearby shopping area, he said more than 30 vehicles parked at a single store were “burned and destroyed”.
Unrest first broke out in the state of Jalisco, where organised crime groups torched cars following the cartel leader’s death, according to images circulated by Reuters.
Despite how quickly the violence escalated, Jones said residents were left without clear information from authorities. He added that he did not see police or military presence in his neighbourhood until later in the afternoon.
Across several Mexican states, both residents and tourists were instructed to remain indoors, while businesses, schools and universities shut their doors. Jones said some people became trapped inside shops when the violence erupted and were unable to leave.
“When the city finally understood what was happening, a stay-at-home order was issued,” he said, adding that the streets soon became “eerily quiet”.
As the situation unfolded, Jones said the local community began supporting one another. With firefighters overwhelmed, residents helped extinguish fires themselves and assisted tourists who had no access to food.
A grocery store eventually reopened on Sunday evening, but Jones said the line to get inside was “unbelievable”.
“I don’t know what today’s going to bring,” he said. “I hope, peace.”
He also expressed concern about the effect the unrest could have on tourism in the area, which is a major source of income for the region.
“Puerto Vallarta is strong,” he said. “We’ve been through hurricanes together, the pandemic together, and in times like this, businesses don’t compete — they come together and help each other. I believe we’ll survive this and come out even stronger.”
Canadian content creator Marc-André, who lives in Puerto Vallarta and posts videos under the name More Life Diaries, described the situation as “heartbreaking” after capturing drone footage of the city.
He said the normally peaceful resort town appeared to have turned into “an absolute war zone”.
“There were fires everywhere — hundreds of cars burning across the city at the same time,” he said in a video shared on YouTube.
After the violence subsided, he described the atmosphere as deeply unsettling.
“This is Mexico — usually there’s music, people outside, people enjoying life. Instead, there’s this eerie feeling in the air,” he said.
Marc-André, who lives in the city with his wife and two young children, said they had never previously felt unsafe in Puerto Vallarta.
“It’s truly heartbreaking to witness what’s happening,” he added.
Another YouTube creator, Paul Desmond, originally from California and now living in Bucerías in the state of Nayarit, said the scenes were highly unusual for the area.
Desmond shared drone footage showing empty highways with smoke rising in the distance.
“This isn’t something we see in our daily lives here,” he said. “It’s unsettling, frustrating and ugly.”
Several American and Canadian tourists also shared their experiences with news organisations.
Adryan Moorefield from Dallas told CNN that the situation came as a “complete shock”. He said it felt like being “in the twilight zone”.
Moorefield had arrived in Puerto Vallarta the previous week, expecting a simple beach getaway. His return flight was cancelled, leaving him stranded.
Another visitor, Tim Spencer from Toronto, told CBC that he saw cars and small shops in flames from the rooftop of the Villa Divina hotel.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,” he said. “It’s a bit horrific.”
Jim Beck, who was staying in the city, told CNN he had gone out for breakfast on Sunday morning when he saw taxis destroyed and blocking the roads.
“People were running, screaming, telling everyone to go back to their hotels,” he said.
Beck said he had visited Puerto Vallarta many times before but had never previously felt unsafe.
Jeff Pass, a Canadian from Peterborough, has been stranded in the Puerto Vallarta area for more than eight days after attending a destination wedding. He said hotel staff initially gave little information, but by afternoon he could see fires burning across the city from the rooftop.
Pass said conditions appeared calmer by Monday afternoon, with taxis and ride-hailing services slowly resuming. However, he and his partner still had no confirmation about when they could return home.
They attempted to register with the Canadian consulate, but were told officials were overwhelmed by the volume of requests.
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand advised citizens to travel only when it was “safe to do so”.
“The situation remains fluid,” she said, urging Canadians in affected areas to follow instructions from local authorities.
She added that more than 26,000 Canadians abroad had registered with Global Affairs Canada for updates — nearly 8,000 more than the previous day.
Flight disruptions continued into Monday, leaving many travellers stuck. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she expected flights to resume later in the day and into Tuesday.
Air Canada confirmed it would resume full flights to Puerto Vallarta on Tuesday, with services operating from Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Flights from Toronto to Guadalajara were scheduled to resume on Wednesday.
