U.S. Citizens Stranded Amid Escalating Cartel Violence in Mexico: 14 Dead in Deadly Clash

An American couple, on their inaugural getaway without their four-year-old son, found themselves in a precarious situation in Mexico, prompting them to inform family members of their will’s location.

While vacationing in Puerto Vallarta, the couple became entangled in chaos after the Mexican military killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel on Sunday, igniting widespread violence across the area.

“I had to call my mom today to let her know, ‘Here’s where our will is. We just created it. I don’t want you to worry, but you might need to stay a few extra days with my son,'” the concerned father shared with Fox Digital.

“This is our first time away from him,” he continued, expressing his wife’s sentiment, “She said, ‘We’re never leaving him again.'”

Reports from Jalisco, Michoacan, and Guanajuato indicated that at least 14 people lost their lives on Sunday, including seven National Guard members. Social media videos showed tourists on the beaches with smoke visible in the distance.

The US State Department has issued a shelter-in-place order due to ‘ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity’ that encompasses vacation hotspots like Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum. 

But tourists trapped at resorts in those cities have warned that the hotels are down to ‘the last bit of food,’ with one guest claiming they are ‘just sort of surviving off granola bars.’

Guests reported that hotel kitchens and nearby restaurants are shut down, according to CNN, leaving many worried about where they will get meals in the coming days. 

Some vacationers who had early Sunday morning flights managed to get home, but others are now locked down at the airport after most domestic and international flights were canceled in both Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta. 

Plumes of smoke rise after violent reactions to the killing of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Sunday

Smoke billows from burning vehicles amid the uproar in Puerto Vallarta, western Mexico

Members of the National Guard move pedestrians along in Mexico City on Sunday 

Most domestic and international flights were canceled at Puerto Vallarta airport on Sunday

Members of the Mexican Army and state police inspect vehicles in the resort city of Cancun, Quintana Roo, on Sunday

Cartel boss Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, was killed during a shoot-out in his home state of Jalisco as the Mexican military attempted to capture him.  

Oseguera Cervantes was the leader of one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico, notorious for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine to the US and staging brazen attacks against government officials who challenged it.

Following his death, gunmen unleashed violence across the country. Cars burned out by cartel members blocked roads in 20 Mexican states and left smoke billowing into the air. 

People locked themselves in their homes in Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city and Jalisco’s capital, and school was canceled Monday in several states as security forces were placed on alert all over the country. 

Guatemala also reinforced security on its border with Mexico.

American tourists have now found themselves trapped in the country, witnessing what they have described as ‘war breaking out in the streets.’

One vacationer, who was forced to evacuate from his rented Airbnb in Puerto Vallarta, told Fox Digital how he woke up to the sound of blaring car horns and saw six vehicles completely engulfed in flames.

Passengers wait at Puerto Vallarta airport, which is operating with limited personnel 

While no airports are closed, a majority of flights have been canceled and roadblocks are impacting airline operations. Travelers are seen on the runway at Puerto Vallarta airport

Firefighters work to extinguish flames from buses set on fire by members of organized crime in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Sunday

Tourists watch a column of smoke amid ongoing violence in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Sunday

A burning vehicle in Tijuana, Mexico, on Sunday, following the death of Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes

‘They told the people to leave,’ he said of the suspected cartel members who were dousing the cars with fuel. ‘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.’ 

American tourist Katy Holloman, from El Dorado Hills, took to Facebook to speak about her ordeal after she was told to shelter in her hotel as it was safer than attempting to reach the airport.

‘The road is closed due to the cartel. There are no flights going out of the airport to the States. We’ve rescheduled them for tomorrow afternoon, really hoping we make it home,’ she said in a video.

‘Just going to pray we make it home tomorrow. This is unprecedented here; the hotel staff have been saying this has never happened before.’

Another tourist, Dan Smith, from the Palm Springs area, shared a video that appeared to show him running down a staircase as alarms rang in the background, while a Mexican woman ordered him outside.

He said in the clip: ‘We’re evacuating the building, propane tanks have exploded. Hoping the building doesn’t catch on fire.’ 

His brother Richard uploaded more footage from Daniel showing a bus in flames and other blazing vehicles blocking the roads of Puerto Vallarta.

He said: ‘Please keep good thoughts for my brother Daniel. Puerto Vallarta is under siege. He is stuck downtown, and all roads in and out are closed off. He can’t get home. 

‘Luckily, there are some friends downtown where he can hang out. Although it’s been evacuated once already. The drug cartel is p****d off.’ 

A San Diego tourist, James Stephens, posted chilling footage of a Costco store up in flames and revealed the whole city had been locked down.

He said: ‘Stuck in Puerto Vallarta as the cartel is attempting to take over the city. Entire city shut down. Can’t get out. Crazy right? We’re safe.’ 

American tourist Katy Holloman, from El Dorado Hills, was told to shelter in her hotel, as it was safer than attempting to reach the airport

Dan Smith, from the Palm Springs area, shared a clip of what appeared to be him running down a staircase as alarms rang out in the background

Army soldiers patrol guard the National Palace ahead of the daily, morning news conference by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in Mexico City on Monday

A charred vehicle sits at a damaged supermarket in Guadalajara, Jalisco state on Sunday

The US Embassy in Mexico has urged Americans to shelter in place, minimize unnecessary movements and avoid areas with law enforcement activity.

The embassy noted that while no airports are closed, a majority of flights have been cancelled and roadblocks are impacting airline operations. Airports are also operating with limited personnel because of the burst of violence.

All ride share services were suspended in Puerto Vallarta and operations have been temporarily curtailed on toll roads across the region due to blockades.

The killing of Oseguera Cervantes could give the Mexican government a boost in its dealings with the Trump administration, which has been threatening tariffs or unilateral military action if Mexico does not show results in the fight against the cartels.

But the long-term effect on Mexico’s security landscape remains unclear.  

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has urged calm and local authorities announced late Sunday they had cleared most of the more than 250 cartel roadblocks across 20 states.

Many locals and tourists alike remain hunkered down and on edge as they wait to see the powerful cartel’s reaction to their leader’s death.

The White House has confirmed that the US provided intelligence support to the operation to capture the cartel leader and applauded Mexico’s army for taking down a man who was one of the most wanted criminals in both countries.

Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera Cervantes was killed by Mexican federal forces on Sunday, according to high-ranking officials who spoke with local publications

National Guards patrol the area outside of the General Prosecutor’s headquarters in Mexico City on Sunday after the killing of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader

A view of a burning truck, allegedly set on fire by organized crime groups in response to an operation to arrest El Mencho which led to his death

Pedestrians walk past a charred vehicle after it was set on fire, on a road in Cointzio, Michoacán state, Mexico on Sunday

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said via X that ‘”El Mencho” was a top target for the Mexican and United States government as one of the top traffickers of fentanyl into our homeland,’ and commended Mexico’s military for its work. 

US Ambassador Ron Johnson recognized the success of the Mexican armed forces and their sacrifice in a statement late Sunday. He added that ‘under the leadership of President Trump and President Sheinbaum, bilateral cooperation has reached unprecedented levels.’ 

Oseguera Cervantes, who was wounded in the operation to capture him Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco, about a two-hour drive southwest of Guadalajara, died while being flown to Mexico City, the Defense Department said in a statement.

During the operation, troops came under fire and killed four people at the location. Three more people, including Oseguera Cervantes, were wounded and later died, the statement said.

The US State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of Oseguera Cervantes. 

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is one of the most powerful and fastest growing criminal organizations in Mexico and began operating around 2009. In February 2025, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.