In the wake of the reported death of Nemesio Oseguera, known as El Mencho, a prominent cartel figure, American tourists in Puerto Vallarta found themselves caught in the midst of a violent cartel backlash, according to Fox News Digital.
Amid the chaos, airlines suspended flights, and authorities advised people to stay indoors. Stranded tourists witnessed cars set on fire, suspected cartel operatives barricading key roads, and looters ransacking shops. For some, these scenes transformed parts of the usually tranquil resort city into what felt like a “war zone.”
Tourists recounted being evacuated from their accommodations, coping with limited access to hotel food, and sometimes venturing outside to find meals as they awaited the restoration of order by Mexican authorities.
Eugene Marchenko, a 37-year-old from Charleston, South Carolina, staying at an Airbnb near a major thoroughfare, described waking to the sound of blaring horns. From his balcony, he saw six cars consumed by flames. He and his wife, who had only just arrived the day before, evacuated for several hours due to fears that a nearby burning fuel tanker might explode.
“I looked down and saw them entirely engulfed in flames,” Marchenko recounted, noting that the blaze involved six vehicles and a fuel tanker. He also viewed a neighbor’s video depicting men, presumably cartel members, forcibly removing people from vehicles before dousing them with gasoline and setting them alight.
He said he watched a neighbor’s video showing men he believed to be cartel members forcing people out of their vehicles, then pouring gasoline and setting the cars on fire.
“They told the people to leave,” Marchenko said. “Then they were taking the gas and pouring the gas on the vehicle and waiting until everybody was clear before they were setting it on fire.”
Later in the afternoon, Marchenko ventured out to find food and said he saw pharmacies and corner stores completely burned down, adding that younger crowds had broken into nearby buildings to loot beer and cigarettes.
Vehicles appear to carry multiple armed forces in Puerto Vallarta. (Fox News Digital)
Videos obtained by Fox News Digital show a helicopter hovering above his building, circling as if searching for someone, while Mexican armed forces and armored vehicles moved through the streets below.
Public transportation and Ubers had come to a complete halt, Marchenko added, saying that even if flights resume, he is unsure how they would reach the airport.
Despite the chaos, Marchenko noted that no one appeared to panic.
“There’s definitely not any panic from almost nobody here,” he said. “I think it’s interesting, almost everybody was just annoyed more than anything.”
A plume of smoke rises in Puerto Vallarta on Feb. 22, 2026. (Fox News Digital)
Adriana Belli, 49, another visitor from Miami, told Fox News Digital that she had planned to spend over a week in Mexico to attend a wedding in Guadalajara and celebrate a friend’s birthday in Mexico City.
Belli said the sudden outbreak of violence was especially shocking, noting that she had spoken with American tourists staying at her Marriott resort who insisted the area was extremely safe after visiting Puerto Vallarta for 24 years.
She added that guests who had gone to the airport were under lockdown and were managing with the limited food available.
“A lot of the other tourists who had early morning flights were actually able to get to the airport, but they are now locked down in the airport and unable to leave,” she said. “So what we heard from other guests is they are just sort of surviving off of granola bars.”
A fuel tanker was set ablaze near a gas station in Puerto Vallarta on Feb. 22, 2026. (Fox News Digital)
Another source staying at a separate resort told Fox News Digital that restaurants and room service had been shut down. Guests were brought to the lobby for what was described as “the last bit of food.”
He added that this was the first trip where he and his wife were away from their 4-year-old son, and that he had to call home to tell family members where to find their will.
“This is the first time we’ve ever been away from him. My wife was saying, ‘We’re never leaving him again,’” he said. “I had to call my mom today and, you know, just tell her, ‘Look, here’s where my will is. We just created this. I don’t want you to panic, but I may need you to stay a couple days extra with my son.’”
He added that, despite the area appearing like a war zone, he is remaining optimistic that the authorities will restore order in the coming days.
Mexico’s Defense Department said Sunday that Oseguera was killed in a military operation. The news reportedly triggered widespread unrest and uncertainty across multiple states as Mexican authorities worked to stabilize the region.
