Earlier this week, a heated argument at a lake in Massachusetts escalated into an attempted drowning.
On Wednesday evening, 70-year-old Steven Dana of Hopkinton, MA confronted 21-year-old Matt Duffy at Lake Maspenock.
Notably, Duffy was using crutches after being injured in a motorcycle accident a few months ago.
Dana was bothered by Duffy and his friends jet-skiing on the lake. He grew angrier and angrier as Duffy insisted they were allowed to be there.
Eventually, Dana turned to physical violence, slapping Duffy before dragging him to the lake and holding him down in the water until bystanders forcefully pulled him off.
Watch the insane footage here for yourself:
When police arrived, they arrested Steven Dana.
He has been accused of attempted murder, among other charges.
Massachusetts Live listed all the charges Dana is facing:
Steven Dana, 70, of Hopkinton, identified in court documents as Steven Aaron Dion, is facing charges of attempted murder, assault and battery on a disabled person and two counts of strangulation or suffocation.
Dana was ordered held on a $7,500 bail during his Friday hearing in Framingham District Court. He was also ordered to stay away from the victim, the lake and not possess guns or dangerous weapons. His next court date is set for July 13.
Lake Maspenock is only open to people who live in Hopkinton during a certain period of the year.
The argument began because Dana did not believe Duffy and his friends were residents of the area.
CBS News reported further:
Steven Dana, a Hopkinton resident, was arrested after police responded to a report of a fight at Sandy Beach Wednesday just before 7 p.m. Police said the fight was about the 21-year-old’s use of Lake Maspenock. The victim, 21-year-old Matt Duffy, said that Dana was irritated by his friends and him riding a jet ski.
“The only boat ramp to the lake, which straddles Hopkinton and Milford, exists on Lakeshore Drive, and it is limited to use by Hopkinton residents only from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend,” police said.
Police said video footage showed Dana slapping Duffy, who had been using crutches because he was involved in a severe motorcycle accident months before.
A struggle in the water followed, and police said Dana “is shown forcefully holding the 21-year-old under the water,” before others pulled Dana off him.
“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.”
Both men declined to be taken to a hospital for treatment. Hopkinton Deputy Police Chief Scott van Raalten said the “senseless violence” started because Dana did not believe the victim was a Hopkinton resident “and accosted him about use of the lake.”
What a wild scenario.
An argument over lake access is not an excuse to try to drown somebody – – let alone someone who is injured, on crutches — for Pete’s sake!
This old man likely just threw the rest of his life away over such a stupid reason.
On another note, what kind of “friends” stand there and watch while you’re being literally attacked and drowned?
A lot of folks on X are calling out these terrible “friends”:
Your homeboys getting drowned by a boomer, and you decide to stare, I hope I never have friends like this.
— Pyrros (@samipyrros) June 5, 2026
Why is nobody talking about how his friends didn’t jump the old guy?
— Braeden (@BraedenSorbo) June 5, 2026
I like how their first reaction was to pick up the phone out of the water before helping their friend who was being murdered. pic.twitter.com/UvdwuGDFYs
— Emerald Apple (@AI_EmeraldApple) June 5, 2026
What are your thoughts on all this?
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