MILWAUKEE — Dozens of Wisconsin travelers returned home Tuesday after being stranded in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, following a weekend of violence tied to a Mexican military operation that killed the head of a drug cartel.
NBC reported the killing sparked retaliation Sunday, with shops and cars set on fire across the city. Travelers who had been scheduled to fly home Sunday were told it was no longer safe to go to the airport.
Erica Jansky was among those who never made it to their flight.
"We were on our bus to the airport in Puerto Vallarta around nine o'clock, we were almost there, and the bus turned around and brought us back to the hotel," Jansky said.
Watch: Wisconsin travelers return home after being stranded in Puerto Vallarta amid weekend violence
Jansky described seeing signs of the violence on the way to the airport before being turned back.
"We did see about three areas of black smoke in the air on the way to the airport. When we got back, we found out that there had already been three buses that had been burned. So we obviously didn't want to be the next bus that was taken over and burned, so they brought us back to the hotel," Jansky said.
The hotel where many of the stranded travelers stayed was further away from much of the weekend's violence, and travelers said they felt safe there.
Relief came late Monday night when travelers were told a plane would be sent for them the following morning.
"When we heard, some of us started to cry yesterday when we knew they were sending a plane for us," Jansky said.
Fellow traveler Simone Connemara praised the flight crew who made the trip home possible.
"The people on the plane, it was their day off, so they were nice enough to come in on their day off and fly us home," Connemara said.
The mood was joyful as travelers made their way back through the terminal.
"Yes, very glad to be home, I actually missed Wisconsin," Connemara said.
Many of the travelers TMJ4 spoke with also expressed gratitude toward resort staff, who stayed on through the final two days to continue helping guests — even as some of those employees may have had family in Puerto Vallarta.
This story was reported on-air by Brendyn Jones and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
