PORTLAND, OR — A local family is in mourning after 44-year-old Ron Breckman tragically passed away this week following what experts are calling “a reckless and ultimately fatal decision” to drink directly from a downtown Portland Benson Bubbler.
“He just leaned in and drank,” said his wife, Susan Breckman. “He thought it was city water. I told him not to, that I’d seen someone wash a sock in that same fountain the day before. But he said, ‘They’re historic. It’s probably fine.’”
Witnesses say Ron ignored multiple red flags, including an unconscious man slumped nearby, several pigeons bathing in the basin, and a strong odor of… something.
“He said it had a clean taste,” said longtime friend Jeff Elms. “I said it had a chemical taste.”
Even more disturbingly, a video had gone viral just one week earlier showing a person in tattered clothing aggressively rubbing their bare backside on the exact same Benson Bubbler spout—an image many locals say should have retired the fountain permanently.
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Paramedics responded quickly, but there was little they could do. “Once we heard it was a Benson Bubbler incident, we knew time was critical,” said paramedic Linda Rake. “We keep those cases under a separate protocol, usually involving antibiotics and a full soul cleanse.”
Ron’s last words, according to a bystander, were: “Kinda minty.”
City officials say a small plaque will be added near the fountain reading, “In memory of Ron. Don’t drink from this.” Plans are also in motion to install a motion-activated warning speaker or possibly a small fence.
The family has asked for privacy and issued a statement reminding the public that “not all fountains are for drinking—especially in Portland.”
