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Jupiter police incident report details chaos after father electrocuted at Harbourside Place

Woman tells police she was shocked at fountains in July
Crime scene tape could be seen blocking off Harbourside Place in Jupiter on Oct. 23, 2023, a day after five people were taken to hospitals after a possible electrical incident.
Posted at 4:35 PM, Oct 31, 2023
and last updated 2023-11-01 10:01:10-04

JUPITER, Fla. — Police released new details Tuesday related to an electric shock incident at the Harbourside Place fountain in Jupiter that killed a man and injured four others, including three children, earlier this month.

The incident occurred Oct. 22 at about 3:30 p.m., killing Nate Davenport, a 45-year-old father.

The report details how Davenport and his friend were enjoying the afternoon with their children when surveillance video showed two of the children fall face down into the water.

Davenport went into the water first to rescue the children but collapsed, according to the report. His friend went into the water and also collapsed after getting shocked. That friend eventually made it out of the water along with the children.

Officers said they responded to the scene shortly after the incident and began giving CPR to Davenport. They said he did not appear to be breathing or have a pulse.

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue personnel arrived at the scene a short time later to take over CPR.

Chopper 5 view of the fountains at Harbourside Place. Oct. 23, 2023

Investigations

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Witnesses told police they heard screaming and yelling and saw Davenport pull an unresponsive child out of the fountain, by the stage, before he became unresponsive and was pulled out of the fountain by his friend.

The witnesses told police that they were having lunch around the corner when they heard children screaming over by the stage's water fountain.

They then saw Davenport in the fountain and attempted to pull him out of the fountain before getting shocked themselves.

One of the witnesses found the emergency power shut off and was able to turn the power off to the fountain, while they pulled the unresponsive Davenport out of the fountain.

Davenport was pronounced dead just before 4:30 p.m. after being taken to Jupiter Medical Center.

Previous Shock Reported at Harbourside

Two days after the fatal incident, a woman, identified as Dina Fleck, 38, contacted Jupiter police on Oct. 24 stating that on July 10 she and a group of about 15 people were at the fountains and were shocked, according to an incident report.

Fleck said when she sat down on the wall where the fountains are located and put her hand in the water, she was immediately shocked by the water. The woman said she described the feeling as an intense tingling up her whole arm, which lasted a couple of minutes after she removed her hand from the water.

Fleck said she knew something was wrong, so she began telling the group of people she was with. Several of those individuals also touched the water to see what was going on, and they also were shocked. Fleck advised they were also shocked by the water coming up from the splash pad as well as the coverings around the holes where the water comes from.

WATCH: Woman details being shocked at fountain in July

Woman says she was shocked by Harbourside fountain in July

She said it was a stinging vibration on her feet and legs but not as strong as the feeling was when she put her hand in the fountain water. Fleck advised after this occurred, her friends located a Harbourside employee, but she said the employee was dismissive about the situation.

Police said Fleck was able to provide pictures taken from July 10, as well as screenshots showing the date they were taken. Investigators said the photographs show a wire sticking out of the water.

The incident report also said that police spoke with one of the builders of the splash pad and fountains, Van Kirk & Sons Pools & Spas. The general manager of the company said they had not been out to do work on the fountains or splash pad in five to seven years and that the warranty had expired.

The police also spoke to a maintenance company, Tranquil Waterscapes, that cleans the water at the fountain once a week. However, they told police they don't perform any electrical work at the location. The report stated that a detective investigating the case felt the death was accidental, and there was no probable cause for criminal charges.

Harbourside Place released the following statement Tuesday:

"We at Harbourside Place remain heartbroken over this tragic and unexpected loss of a part of our Harbourside family of consultants. Nate was a friend of Harbourside and was currently working with us on several projects. Our thoughts, prayers and unwavering support continue to be with his family during this challenging time."

The lawyer for the Davenport family, Scott Smith, released the following statement:

"In addition to the person identified in the Jupiter Police Department report, we have also spoken directly with other individuals who have experienced an electrical shock occurrence at the fountain and/or splash pad area. It is very disappointing to learn that this dangerous condition had existed for a lengthy period of time and was never addressed. We respectfully ask any others who have had a similar experience to contact the Jupiter Police Department and/or our office."