Home Invasions, Vandalism, and Squatting in Puerto Vallarta’s Historic Center

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.