A northwest Iowa broadcaster’s return from a vacation in Mexico was delayed for four days due to the wave of violence that swept through Puerto Vallarta after authorities killed the alleged head of a drug cartel, sparking a clash between Mexico’s military and cartel operatives.
T.J. Johnson made it back to Spencer at 3 a.m. yesterday. He’d been at the Puerto Vallarta airport on Sunday, checked in and ready to board a plane when an emergency alarm went off. “Got up to the gate and an emergency alarm immediately went off,” he says. “…We had shop workers, security telling us to run and we ran, found an exit, we got onto the tarmac, got away from the building and then for about 30 minutes had to wait until we got the go-ahead to come back inside and by the time we got back inside he building everything was cancelled and the airport was under lockdown and we were told we had to stay.”
Johnson was vacationing with his aunt and uncle. On Monday afternoon, they were able to return to the condo they’d been renting. He said crossing into U.S. airspace was a big moment. “It’s strange how excited I was, especially when they said: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, we are now in the United States.’ The whole plane erupted in applause,” Johnson said. “And, of course, the first thing we had to do, which is very American, was get a cheeseburger from McDonald’s.”
Johnson, who’s the co-host of the morning show on KMRR FM in Spencer, said the experience won’t deter him from international travel in the future. He and his family are even discussing a return to Puerto Vallarta at some point.
(By Audrey McIrvin, KICD, Spencer)