Chicagoans caught in narco violence in Mexico

• "All of a sudden, this guy came running towards our car with a gun, banged on my window, pointing the gun at me, and told us to get out of the car in Spanish," says Pizer, the district community liaison for U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley.
• The man took the car, blocked the road, "threw something in the car, and the car exploded. ... Then there was gunfire. We started running. ... They started pulling people out of more cars and trucks. ... They went on a city bus and started shooting and setting everything on fire."

Context: Pizer and Lippitz, a prominent Chicago real estate agent, bought a condo in Puerto Vallarta five years ago.

• The town is typically considered one of the safest in Mexico, and Pizer says this is the first time they have experienced any crime in the area, "but obviously this changes the equation."

The big picture: The attack emerged amid of a wave of violent incidents across Western Mexico Sunday in apparent retaliation for the capture of the Jalisco cartel leader Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho."

• The State Department urged American tourists in Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, Tulum and elsewhere Sunday to shelter in place.

• Several flights that were supposed to arrive or leave airports in the area were canceled or diverted despite government reports that the airports are open.

The latest: Pizer and Lippitz were separated during the explosion and Lippitz spent eight hours sheltering at an orphanage while the streets remained unsafe.

• By Sunday night they had all made it safely back to condo.

The bottom line: "Believe it or not, it could have been a lot worse," said Pizer, who still seemed shaken during a Sunday video call.

• Rep. Quigley "called to check in, and he knows a lot of other Chicagoans are here, and he's very concerned. ... He's on the Intelligence Committee, and we're going to be doing everything we can to help people get home if they want to."

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details.