A 70-year-old man in Massachusetts faces attempted murder charges after police say he tried to drown a 21-year-old at a local lake on June 5, 2026. The incident, captured on video, began as an argument over jet ski use at Maspenock Lake in Hopkinton.
Steven Dana, 70, was arrested after witnesses and friends intervened. Authorities say Dana confronted Matt Duffy, 21, who was jet-skiing with friends across the lake. According to police, the lake is restricted to Hopkinton residents only. Dana reportedly did not believe Duffy was a local and challenged him about using the water.
The dispute escalated quickly. Court documents and witness accounts state that Dana struck Duffy twice in the face before forcing him into the water. Video footage shows Dana straddling Duffy and pushing his head beneath the surface. Duffy told CBS News that Dana tackled him into the lake, they fought, and then Dana held his head under water until a friend pulled the older man off.
Duffy, who uses crutches due to injuries from a severe motorbike crash months earlier, said he could not defend himself. He told reporters he knew he could not use his arms or leg because both were broken, and he spent the attack praying his friends would pull Dana away. The 21-year-old described feeling unable to breathe as Dana continued to hold him down.
Friends of Duffy hauled Dana off the victim and contacted police. Hopkinton officers arrived at the scene just before 7pm on Wednesday and took Dana into custody. Hopkinton Deputy Police Chief Scott van Raalten called the attack “senseless violence” and said it started over the lake access dispute.
The first officer on scene, Officer Noah Buentello, said Dana later told him he had “punched” one of the young men and that they threw him into the water and beat him. Dana was charged with attempted murder, strangulation or suffocation, and assault and battery on a disabled person.
On Thursday, Dana pleaded not guilty to three charges including attempted murder. If convicted, he faces more than 20 years in prison. Police urged the public to report suspected rule-breaking to authorities instead of taking matters into their own hands.
