Morning Rail Commute Delayed by Pursuit of Robbery Suspect

After a nearly eight-hour search through the streets of downtown Harrison, police have a suspect in custody they believe stole a woman's purse on Calvert St. early Tuesday morning.

Police believe the suspect stole the purse after exiting a north-bound Metro North train just before 7 a.m. Witnesses on the train told police the suspect had been acting suspiciously, starting two confrontations with a conductor during his ride, police say.

After exiting the train, police say the man proceeded toward Calvert St., where he mugged a woman and fled. Police spotted the suspect on a local street a few minutes later, but he temporarily eluded the pursuit by hopping a fence along the tracks, said Harrison Police Chief Anthony Marraccini.

After canvassing the area for several hours, police say a group of kids spotted the suspect along the tracks and alerted police. At about 2:45 p.m., police found the suspect in a wooded area along the train tracks near Maple Ave., where he had been hiding out for most of the day, Marraccini said.

Police believe the suspect had been hiding in the wooded space since shortly after police lost sight of him in the early morning.

"He would have popped up," said Marraccini. "I mean, somebody would have seen this guy walking around."

Witnesses at the train station this morning told police the man was acting erratically, and was possibly on drugs, Marraccini said.

Police do not have a list of charges available at this time, but said the suspect is currently being processed at headquarters, Marraccini said.