U.S. issues Level 2 travel alert to this South American country due to crime, unrest

New York’s Staten Island. Because of Chile’s crime and civic upheaval, the U.S. State Department has raised its travel advice to Level 2 Exercise Increased Caution.

The State Department cautions in the advice that violent crime, including assaults, homicides, carjackings, and residential break-ins, is on the rise in Chile and that street crimes, like as muggings, pickpocketing, and theft, are widespread there.

Periodically, there are also large-scale protests in Santiago and other cities. Public bus and metro services in Santiago are frequently disrupted during such protests, which can occur with little to no notice.

Early in 2023, Staten Island lost one of its own to criminal activity in Chile.

Stapleton resident Eric Garvin, 38, was shot and killed after going missing while on vacation in Santiago, Chile.

According to his father, Garvin, a lawyer and frequent traveler who had been to over 40 countries, was shot and killed by three unidentified individuals when he was innocently taking a picture of a structure in a dangerous part of Santiago.

As a multi-day stopover before their intended trip to Argentina, Garvin and his friend visited the nation.

In an interview with prosecutors, the father said he saw video footage of three guys grabbing his son by the left arm, stealing his iPhone, and shooting him three times.

He claimed that after he took the picture, three males from across the street approached his son, perhaps thinking he was a police officer. He was informed by law enforcement personnel of this.

A few months later, two individuals were taken into custody in relation to Garvin’s murder.

The University of Maryland Law School and the Garvin family established an endowment scholarship fund in Garvin’s honor at the university where he earned his degree, and Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks (D-North Shore) sponsored the renaming of the intersection at Front Street and Navy Pier Court in Stapleton to Eric Garvin Way.

This 2017 file photo is of Stapleton resident Eric Garvin, 38. (The Advance of Staten Island)