MBTA Riders Stopped a Suspect From Stealing a Purse At The Charles/MGH Station

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Sarah Connors put her rugby skills to the test on Wednesday morning when she stood her ground and helped a group of people block an alleged purse-snatcher from scrambling out of a T station after he grabbed the property from a fellow rider.

“It was ridiculous. I got to Charles/MGH at around 9:30 in the morning, to head into work, and I was kind of half asleep, and this lady all the way at the other end starting yelling ‘he’s got my bag, he’s got my bag, stop him he’s got my bag,’” she said.

As the alleged suspect came barreling down the platform, weaving in and out of the crowd, he escaped the clasp of two men standing nearby. That’s when Connors buckled down to help stop him from exiting the area with the purse in hand. “I used to play rugby in college,” she said.

According to Transit Police, officers responded to the station and met with the 25-year-old female victim, who said that a man had taken her purse after she placed it beside her on the train, as it pulled into the station.When the vehicle stopped, and the doors opened, the suspect then grabbed her purse and fled off the train.

Connors said while a group of riders that helped stop the perpetrator were successful in getting the purse back, they were unable to keep him from getting away until police arrived. “It was all kind of confusing because the train emptied out,” she said. “I know a lot of people took pictures and tried to get video of him.”

Police said an area search “produced negative results.” Detectives are reviewing video captured by nearby surveillance cameras as part of the investigation to find the alleged thief.

First reported by Universal Hub, Connors later told Boston that the incident didn’t shake her up, and she was surprised anything had happened on the platform to begin with. “It’s usually really quiet,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. Not many people get on or off except those that work at the hospital.”

Connors said the victim didn’t appear to be injured once she boarded the train after the incident.

In the past, Transit Police have warned riders not to intervene, and encouraged people to report incidents using their See/Say smartphone app.