QUINCY, Mass. (WHDH) -- A man is accused of trying to set a couple’s tent on fire while they were sleeping on a beach on the South Shore.

Jack Aiguier, 73, was arraigned Tuesday on several counts, including attempted arson and assault to murder.

Police said they were called to Chapel Street Beach in Quincy early Tuesday morning. A man and woman claimed Aiguier tried to set fire to a tent they were sleeping in.

Neighbors said it was a tent behind Aiguier’s waterfront home.

“At which point he woke up to the smell of gasoline. Mr. Ryan exited the tent -- he saw the suspect, the defendant here before you, Mr. Aiguier, pouring gasoline onto the tent,” said prosecutor Michael Connolly.

Police said one of the alleged victims confronted Aiguier.

“Asked Mr. Aiguier what he was doing, ‘Why were you pouring gasoline on the tent, you could have killed us,’” said Connolly. “The defendant replied, ‘That’s what I wanted to do.’”

Police said Aiguier then chased the couple down the beach with a baseball bat. Aiguier’s defense attorney said police have the incident wrong.

“My preliminary investigation suggests that these two were not in fact victims, that it was in fact my client that was the victim,” said defense attorney Mallory Corvington.

Corvington told the court that the couple in the tent is squatters on Aiguier’s property and that they have broken into homes in the neighborhood, including Aiguier’s. As proof, Corvington referred to neighbors in the courtroom whom she says have been trying to get the alleged victims out of the neighborhood for a long time.

“Neighbors showing up at this arraignment in court telling me that the police simply arrested the wrong man in this case -- he tried to get these people to move and they will not,” said Corvington.

There was no comment by those neighbors in the courtroom, but other neighbors that 7News spoke with came to Aiguier’s defense.

Aiguier is being held without bail.