A broad-daylight attempt to force entry into an apartment building on Guerrero Street has become the latest flash-point in a string of petty crimes rattling downtown Puerto Vallarta.
Surveillance video captured at about 12:40 p.m. on Monday, April 21, shows a neatly dressed young man in white clothing and sneakers approaching the wrought-iron door of a stairwell beside an empty storefront near the intersection of Guerrero and Matamoros streets. Carrying a small black shoulder bag, the man smashes one of the door’s glass panes with an object concealed in his hand, then spends nearly three minutes tugging at the frame in an effort to open it. He eventually gives up and walks away moments before municipal police—alerted by neighbors—arrive on the scene.
Residents circulated the footage through neighborhood WhatsApp and Facebook groups in the hope of identifying the suspect, who they say has been seen roaming the area for several weeks. “We’re sharing the video so people know whom to look out for and so victims file reports,” explained one building administrator, adding that the same individual has been spotted peering into gated entrances and testing doorknobs along Matamoros Street.
Long-time business owners and homeowners report that Monday’s incident is part of a wider uptick in vandalism, opportunistic theft, and squatting in the city’s historic core. Several abandoned or unoccupied properties—many of them heritage homes awaiting renovation or sale—have been breached in recent months. Appliances have been stripped, wiring and fixtures removed, and in at least two cases squatters were discovered sleeping inside, residents told Mexico News Blog.
Because absentee owners are often unaware their properties have been compromised, neighbors say they have begun tracking down landlords themselves. “We’ve had to find phone numbers in other cities to tell owners, ‘Your house is wide open,’” said a café proprietor who asked not to be named for safety reasons.
In response, residents and merchants have set up informal watch networks, exchanging real-time alerts via group chats and volunteering for nightly walk-throughs of the most affected blocks. They are also pressing city authorities for a stronger police presence, particularly during the early-morning and mid-afternoon periods when many incidents occur.
“Downtown is our cultural heart and our livelihood—we need foot patrols, not just the occasional squad car,” said a spokesperson for the Guerrero–Matamoros Neighborhood Association, which delivered a letter to the Municipal Public Security Directorate on Tuesday requesting additional patrols and faster response times.
The Public Security Directorate acknowledged the April 21 break-in attempt in a brief statement, confirming that officers arrived minutes after the 911 call but the suspect had already fled. The agency urged residents to file formal complaints so prosecutors can open investigations and emphasized that patrol routes are adjusted “according to crime hot spots and citizen reports.”
No arrests had been made as of press time. Authorities asked anyone with information about the suspect to contact the anonymous tip line at 089 or the emergency number 911.
While Puerto Vallarta’s tourism corridor and popular Malecón boardwalk remain heavily patrolled, locals say interior residential streets have become easy targets—especially those lined with shuttered businesses still recovering from the pandemic and seasonal lulls in tourism.
“People think crime only happens at night, but this was lunchtime,” said a resident of nearby Hidalgo Street. “Until we see officers walking the beat every day, we’ll keep our cameras rolling and our group chats open.”
