At least eight Chicagoans were sheltering in place in Puerto Vallarta on Sunday, after a wave of violent attacks swept across western Mexico in apparent retaliation for the capture and reported death of cartel leader Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.”
Among them: Lakeview resident Jonathan Pizer and his husband, Brad Lippitz, a prominent Chicago real estate broker who owns a condo in the popular beach city. The couple had been heading out for a whale-watching excursion with friends when gunmen stopped their car.
“All of a sudden, this guy came running towards our car with a gun, banged on my window, pointing the gun at me, and told us to get out,” Pizer told Axios.
The attackers commandeered the vehicle, used it to block the road and set it ablaze.
“They went on a city bus and started shooting and setting everything on fire,” he said.
Pizer and Lippitz were separated in the chaos. Lippitz sheltered at a nearby orphanage for roughly eight hours while streets remained unsafe. By Sunday evening, the couple had reunited at their condo.
Chicagoans weren’t the only Americans stuck in the beach town, as the smoke from those fires and many others around the city contributed to what Houston realtor Chris Garza said he woke up to on Sunday: a large plume of black smoke blanketing the skyline across the town and view of the ocean. Garza was expecting to travel back to Houston on Monday but now he is also sheltering in place and doesn’t know when he’ll be able to return, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Puerto Vallarta — a resort town on Mexico’s Pacific coast in the state of Jalisco — has long been viewed as one of Mexico’s safer resort destinations and a magnet for American second-home buyers, including Chicagoans seeking winter sun and relative affordability compared to U.S. coastal markets, according to the outlet. Pizer and Lippitz, both with Compass’ Brad Lippitz Group, purchased their unit five years ago and said they had not previously experienced crime in the area.
“This changes the equation,” Pizer said during a Sunday video call with the outlet.
The violence unfolded amid reports of coordinated attacks across parts of Jalisco state tied to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations. The U.S. State Department urged American tourists in Puerto Vallarta, Cancun and Tulum to shelter in place. Several flights in and out of regional airports were canceled or diverted, despite official reports that airports remained open.
Puerto Vallarta and other Mexican cities have seen steady demand from foreign buyers over the past decade, buoyed by short-term rental income and lifestyle appeal, though the geopolitical risk embedded in otherwise strong vacation home markets might challenge potential investors to think twice.
“Waking up this morning, it was really kind of a realization that I’m sure a lot of people are going to be afraid to come to Mexico for vacation in the near future. And I know for good reason of course, but the [Mexican] people do thrive on tourism,” Garza told the Chronicle. “I really kind of feel sad for the Mexican people right now because this is their bread and butter … I will be back. We just have to wait to let this kind of thing figure itself out first.”
— Eric Weilbacher
Read more
