UPDATE: 18-Year-Old Accused of Harrison Robbery

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

Jovone Melville, 18, of 665 New York Ave., Brooklyn was charged with third-degree robbery, a felony, after police say he stole the purse after exiting a north-bound Metro North train just before 7 a.m.

Witnesses on the train told police Melville had been acting suspiciously, starting two confrontations with a conductor during his ride, police say.

After exiting the train, police say Melville proceeded toward Calvert St., where he mugged a woman and fled. Police spotted Melville 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 Melville 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 were canvassing the area for most of the day. Train service along the New Haven Line was slowed throughout the morning commute.

Melville, meanwhile, was hiding in the same wooded space for several hours, police say.

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

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