Police said a 28-year-old Mexican man was killed when a crocodile attacked and dragged him into the sea on Friday in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Officials with the Jalisco State Police said the incident happened when the man was on the beach near the Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort and Spa, ABC News reported Monday.
The creature apparently grabbed the man and dragged him into the water around 6:00 p.m., and the victim’s body was found 300 meters offshore early Saturday after a search and rescue operation was launched.
A couple from San Clemente, California, who were vacationing in the area said they witnessed the attack. Jamie Yetter, her fiancé Chris Bury, and her teenage daughter were at the hotel’s pool when they heard someone screaming, NBC Los Angeles reported Saturday.
The couple initially thought the man was trapped in a rip current and tried to help him, but they were unsuccessful.
“This truly was the most horrific thing I’ve ever seen,” Yetter told Good Morning America. “At one point you could see the crocodile around his thigh, and when he would turn you could see how massive the crocodile was and how big his body and his tail was.”
The NBC article said people were swimming in the ocean less than a day after the attack.
In a statement to ABC, the resort said it already had appropriate signage on its grounds, night patrols, and reg flags to caution visitors, adding the safety of guests and associates was a priority.
“We extend our thoughts to the individual and their loved ones during this difficult time and are providing appropriate support in line with our policies,” the statement concluded.
Crocodiles are the biggest and heaviest members of the reptile family and are known to be nocturnal, according to Britannica.
“To catch land animals, a crocodile floats passively or remains motionless at the edge of the water where prey habitually drink. With a sudden lunge, it seizes an unsuspecting animal and drowns it. If the prey is large, a crocodile may grip portions of the victim in its jaws and rotate rapidly in the water to tear the prey apart,” the site read.