Crocodile attacks Arizona man at Costa Rica beach

An Arizona man has been reported in critical condition after a crocodile attacked him Friday morning at a Costa Rica beach.

Jon Becker, 59, was identified as the survivor.

Diario Extra said Becker was attacked by a crocodile at about 7:10 a.m. Friday while visiting a beach favored by surfers and ecotourists in Tamarindo, Guanacaste. The attack left him with a mangled lower leg and a wound to his neck.

A photographer who posts on Facebook under the handle Surf with Leo captured Becker emerging from the water and collapsing on the beach. Photos show that a local surfer stayed with Becker and other bystanders rushed to his aid until authorities arrived.

Diana Zimmerman, the woman captured in the images, told The Republic that she had just finished surfing farther down the beach and was on her way home when she spotted the injured man.

"I found a friend of mine with him," Zimmerman said by email. "My friend was with him during the attack. He left him with me and ran for help."

Zimmerman said that, last she heard, Becker was in stable condition at the hospital and his sons were on their way to Costa Rica to be with him.

In a post that Zimmerman shared with The Republic, she said Becker was alive.

"He is in the hospital fighting for his life as I write this, and winning," Zimmerman wrote in a statement. "Of course – he beat the croc. He lost most of his right leg below the knee, but the rest will heal as long as infection is held at bay. Crocodiles are dirty creatures with dirty mouths and dirty teeth."

The U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica said in a statement to the Associated Press that it was aware of reports that an American citizen had been attacked by a crocodile. It said consular officers help U.S. citizens when they are injured overseas but declined to comment further, citing privacy considerations.