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Subway Robbery Struggle Ends Up On Tracks

BOSTON (CBS) – A robbery that started on an Orange Line platform ended up on the train tracks Thursday.

Prosecutors say 40-year-old Joseph McCloskey was on the southbound platform at Downtown Crossing when he reached into the jacket pocket of a man and stole a handful of bills before running towards some stairs.

The victim, a 32-year-old from Arlington, went after McCloskey, who allegedly threw a punch and then pushed the man.

Both men then fell onto the tracks below.

MBTA officials immediately cut power to the third rail and stopped trains briefly.

Police arrived and arrested McCloskey, who was cut and bruised in the fall. The unidentified victim refused medical attention.

McCloskey was arraigned Friday in Boston Municipal Court on charges of unarmed robbery, assault and battery, and obstructing a railway track.

Bail was set at $5,000. He's due back in court January 19.

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