NewsPalm Beach CountyRegion C Palm Beach CountyRoyal Palm Beach

Actions

Body found in waterway near Target store in Royal Palm Beach

Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office responds to intersection of State Road 7, Okeechobee Boulevard
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said a body was found in a waterway behind a Target in Royal Palm Beach on March 12, 2024.
Posted at 12:22 PM, Mar 12, 2024
and last updated 2024-03-14 09:39:31-04

ROYAL PALM BEACH, Fla. — There was a heavy law enforcement presence near a Target store in Royal Palm Beach on Tuesday after a body was found in a waterway, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.

The body was found in a pond behind a Super Target located at the intersection of State Road 7 and Okeechobee Boulevard.

At about noon, WPTV crews spotted crime scene tape and investigators at the scene.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said a body was found in a waterway behind a Target store in Royal Palm Beach on March 12, 2024.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said a body was found in a waterway behind a Target store in Royal Palm Beach on March 12, 2024.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said Jhon Fontecha, 51, of West Palm Beach, was driving a BMW X5 northbound on State Road 7 when he crossed into the southbound lanes, hit a curb, drove through a drainage ditch and the Target parking lot, then crashed into a retention pond and went underwater.

Fontecha's body was later found in the water.

In a crash report, the sheriff's office said "impairment is potentially a factor" in Fontecha's "driving actions."