WATCH: Man Accused Of Trying To Drown 21-Year-Old Over Beach Dispute

A 70-year-old Massachusetts man was charged with attempted murder after a heated dispute over water access at a local beach turned violent, according to authorities. 

Steven Dana was arrested after police responded to a call about a fight. Authorities say Dana assaulted 21-year-old Matt Duffy during a confrontation at Sandy Beach in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. Prosecutors say Dana forced Duffy underwater and held him there during the altercation, leading to the attempted murder charge.

Police said the dispute stemmed from Duffy and his friends using Lake Maspenock. Duffy told CBS News Boston that Dana, who appeared to live near the water, became increasingly irritated by the group riding a jet ski.

Dramatic video obtained by Boston 25 News shows the confrontation escalating near the edge of the water.

GRAPHIC VIDEO WARNING: A violent confrontation at a Hopkinton beach was caught on camera and is now drawing serious concern after police say a dispute over “resident-only” access escalated into an attempted murder case. pic.twitter.com/3KrCIbmVtb

— Boston 25 News (@boston25) June 5, 2026

“Time to go. You live there and listen to you doing it all day long and see how you like it,” Dana told Duffy. 

“Woopdy doo,” Duffy replied. “You bought a house on the lake. Deal with it. I’m following the rules of the lake.” 

Dana repeatedly told Duffy to take this boat elsewhere. The young men refused and appeared to taunt the 70-year-old. 

As Dana threatened to call the police, one of the young men mocked the idea.

“You want me to shoot you?” Dana asked him.

“Alright, shoot me then,” Duffy said back. 

Dana then walked down to the beach and stood face-to-face with Duffy. 

“Use that big mouth of yours,” Dana said before slapping Duffy in his face. 

The two tussled to the ground. Video appears to show Dana forcing Duffy into the water during the altercation. 

“He tackled me into the water, then we were fighting, and then he shoved my head under and was not letting me breathe until my friend came up and pulled him off me,” Duffy told CBS News Boston. “I just knew I couldn’t use either of my arms or my leg as they were both broken, and it was just praying that he let go or my friends pull him off of me.”

The 21-year-old said he had been using crutches because he was involved in a severe motorcycle accident months before, according to CBS News. 

Authorities charged Dana with attempted murder, strangulation/suffocation, and assault and battery on a disabled person. 

Dana was freed on Friday on $7,500 bail. He is due back in court on July 13. 

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