Blake Hayes of WGAN sister station ,Coast 93-1FM is now stranded in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where violence has erupted following a cartel leader’s killing.
Blake has posted several video messages, saying he and his party were sheltering in place at a hotel and described what looked like an explosion and a military helicopter nearby.
He also said he was separated from his husband, who hunkered down in a condo building while looking for a gym before safely running back to their hotel.
According to Blake’s on-air partner on Coast, Kelly Towle, his husband was actually walking to check out a gym on Sunday when he heard an explosion and was pulled into a good Samaritan’s home, given a mask, and told it wasn’t safe to be on the streets.
Kelly say the husband called Blake and said how scared he was, and wasn’t sure what to do. Kelly said he just decided he would be on FaceTime with Blake, and then ran back to the hotel as fast as he could.
Blake posted on social media that they’ve been instructed to shelter in place at their hotel. He said they have food and water, but a lot of the surrounding hotels do not.
Kelly said she was told the doors are doors are shut, and there’s no ride share or taxis available.
Blake also posted that the scene is scary with lots of people impacted, but said “it does not feel like a war zone here.”
Yet, no cars burned near our hotel. Grateful and lucky and thinking of the staffs and locals,” said Blake.
Blake also did an interview on CNN on Monday afternoon.
He was scheduled to return to Maine Monday, but his flight was already affected by the blizzard conditions.
He now has a flight to leave Mexico on Thursday, but conditions at that point are not certain.
Flights from the U.S. to Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara have been especially impacted by the violence
The violence erupted after the Mexican army killed the country’s most powerful cartel leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, during an attempt to capture him in Jalisco state (where Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara are located.)
It was the highest-profile blow against cartels since the Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was captured a decade ago,
