Video footage of a gay couple from the US having a scary encounter on a Mexico road trip has been gaining traction on social media.
Aaron Payzant and Logan Howard have their own YouTube channel called Out Off The Trail. Howard is a wildlife photographer. They post videos of themselves on outdoorsy adventures, such as chasing tornadoes.
Back in 2020, they decided to jump in their car and head down to Mexico to do some birdwatching. However, their plans went awry when they found themselves lost and traveling down a rural dirt road.
Related: Texas same-sex couple found shot, dismembered on family trip to Mexico
They noticed a truck following them at speed, which began to make them nervous. It then overtook them and pulled them over, and a bunch of men jumped out with guns. Payzant and Howard say they were possibly drug cartel members, although this is not known. Unsurprisingly, the couple were terrified.
They first posted video footage to their YouTube channel in December. Last month, they posted further footage from their front-facing dashboard camera. The videos have been picked up in recent days on Tik Tok.
Here’s the front-facing footage. You can jump to the one-minute mark to see the van pulling them over.
And below is what was going on inside the car. At one point, both Payzant and Howard appear to hyperventilate and struggle to keep calm. As it turns out, the men with guns appear to just want to know where they’re going and if they’re lost. They allow Payzant and Howard to leave without any trouble
In a further video, the couple talked about what happened. Payzant says the men gave them very strict instructions for where to go, warning them not to take the road straight ahead.
Payzant says that when he saw the guns, he was convinced his life was over.
“As they were passing me, I look over, and saw them in the back of the truck with their guns hanging out and my heart just dropped. And I saw them jump out of the vehicle and come towards me, and I still remember seeing down the barrel of one of their guns, and I felt my life was over. My life was going to end right here in this moment and no one may ever hear what happened.
“It was really scary.”
Online, many found the video shocking.
“Honestly, you guys are lucky they stopped you before you got further down that road and saw something you are not supposed to see. They saved your lives,” said one commentator on YouTube.
Others said it was unfair to assume the men were cartel members.
“They were not from a cartel, there are groups of armed civilians that decided to protect their towns since the government does not do anything against drug cartels,” said a Mexican commentator. “You were lucky because drug dealers would have killed you or kidnapped you. Thousands of people disappear in Mexico while they travel or go to touristic places. I am Mexican and it is very sad for me to tell you this but it is the truth. We live in a nightmare and nobody does anything to stop the cartels.”
Related: Gay couple arrested by officers with machine guns for kissing on the beach in Mexico
Organized crime is a huge problem in Mexico. There were a reported 33,000 homicides in the country last year, with many linked to drug cartels. Only around 2% of those crimes resulted in convictions.
Gangsters act largely with impunity, with around 130 candidates and politicians killed in the lead-up to Mexico’s 2018 elections.
After their scary encounter, Howard said he would not take his own car and drive down to Mexico if visiting again.
“I’d say to anyone thinking of taking their car into Mexico, it’s probably not a good idea. If you want to avoid any types of trouble, just don’t do it. It’s way safer to fly in and get taxis everywhere.”
Following the incident, the men decided to leave their car and fly home, not wanting to risk driving through any more risky areas. They were finally reunited with their car only a couple of months ago after finding someone who was able to drive it up to them for pickup in Florida.
Heywood Jablowme
They must not follow the news much. A road trip to rural Mexico, what could go wrong? Their next fun trip will be to the Dumbass region of Ukraine (near the Donbas region).
Btw, Queerty, thanks for calling them “birdwatchers.” If you don’t call them “birders” they act like you’re committing a fricking hate crime.
Chrisk
There’s a reason why the Mexican cops travel around in heavily armed units.
So these dumb queens decided it would be a great idea to go out on a secluded sight seeing tour using their own damn car. What could possibly go wrong? They might as well of had a neon bumper sticker saying please rob us. Lol
I love Mexico but I stay inside the resorts. Hell no would I travel out and about.
Fibre
Gee! Quite terrifying, the girl at the right almost passed out!
Kangol2
A friend’s boyfriend, a native of Mexico, used to travel down to his native village several times a year but now says to everyone who’ll listen, do NOT travel to small villages and even be wary of big cities or areas outside resorts, because the cartels have a lot of sway these days, they’re abducting and killing people, including non-Mexican nationals, and the current administration in Mexico, like prior ones, is showing little capacity to deal with the crisis. I hope these guys and everyone traveling to Mexico right now really does take adequate precautions.
JessPH
Just stay out of Mexico, Central America, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela.
You’re better off traveling in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay if you want to go down south.
Essie
Anyone who goes to Mexico has to be a damn fool!! These guys were lucky that these men were not part of a cartel. If they were, these guys would not have lived to tell their story. I tell anyone who will listen . . . STAY OUT OF MEXICO!! Even resorts like Cancun aren’t safe anymore. Plus, why even go there? It’s not like it used to be. I’ve visited the Baja (beautiful) and Acapulco but that was decades ago and even back then things were getting dicey. I can’t imagine going to Mexico these days. It’s a hellhole.
Mundo
You live in a country that has more guns than people and you criticize Mexico. please stay home. Mexico does not want you.
heath0043
Yea because we all know with all the guns and murders going on in the US we are the safest country to travel to. I have been to Mexico several times and have never felt unsafe. It’s just like some of the big cities here. Be aware of your surroundings. The people for the most part(just like here in the US) are very friendly and helpful.
jt1990
Thank heavens the pair ran across friendly hispanics, and not a bunch of angry white southerner./s
Cartel or no, it’s fortunate these two queens were not actual females. White women are the prime target for sexual assault in that country. And do be careful visiting ANY part, even the upscale resorts are prone to being shot up by low IQ sociopathic (cartel) thugs!
marxist_homo
This is some serious fear-mongering, and a lot of these comments are bordering on racist.
1.) As some others pointed out, if you’re planning to go somewhere, it’s your responsibility to do your homework and exercise some common sense. (These two clearly did not. They wanted another cute video for their stupid YouTube channel.)
2.) Despite Queerty’s scary headline and these two fools’ melodramatic attempt to capitalize on what happened, the truth is there:
“As it turns out, the men with guns appear to just want to know where they’re going and if they’re lost. They allow Payzant and Howard to leave without any trouble.”
3.) If you watch the video, even if you don’t understand Spanish, it’s clear that the bad guys with guns don’t mean them any harm. In fact, while those two queens are hyperventilating, the bad guys try to comfort them.
Mundo
Exactamente. Gracias.
Inspector 57
Verdad. Totalmente. Gracias.
MBNH
Just spent a fantastic week and a half in Valle de Guadalupe and then Mexico City. It’s all about where you go and taking basic safety precautions as you would at home. Some of these comments are over the top.
We never once felt in danger in the slightest. Mexican people are almost all friendly and helpful. Yes be safe, but don’t demonize an entire country. There’s a reason Mexico has the highest number of international American retirees.
Mundo
Gracias, es la verdad.
heath0043
Well said.
Mundo
Primero, next time take Ted Cruz with you, never go to Cancun it is a rich persons dump and learn to speak Spanish. And always say please don’t kill me… works every time.
Inspector 57
Well, I’ve been to Mexico numerous times and each was horrible! The natives refused to speak Spanish with me! I’d approach a bartender or shopkeeper or person on a street and start talking in Spanish and they would always respond to me in perfect English! I was all like, “Hey, I didn’t spend eight years learning the language and $2,000 to come to Mexico so that I could speak English!” Mexicans are such RUDE people!
Inspector 57
And the worse part is that I didn’t have a YouTube or TikTok channel so I couldn’t even show other peoples how absolutely traumatized and victimized and disrespected I was!
TomG
You have to nuts to go ANYWHERE in Mexico. The entire nation is just one big drug cartel. You go there, be prepared to take your chances.
jt1990
Agreed. And it’s sad because Mexico is such a beautiful country, if you can picture it without people. Lots of fertile land, nice warm weather, loads of natural resources. No reason why a sensible race of people couldn’t thrive there. You know something isn’t right when the natives of such a place flee by the masses. And to a land with so many racist whiteys!