BOSTON (WHDH) -- A 57-year-old man was arraigned in court Thursday after trying to evade subway fare.

“The defendant piggy backed on an officer through the fare gate, an MBTA officer in plain clothes,” said the prosecutor.

The suspect, Michael Cammisaro, tried to closely follow a man through the fare gate at the Park Street station, only to find out the passenger he was trying to scoot through with was an undercover MBTA officer.

The officer identified himself and took the man down.

The undercover officer agreed to speak to 7NEWS on condition we conceal his face.

"I realized there was a male coming up behind me pretty close. As I turned around to inquire what he was doing the man immediately began to push me while yelling 'move! Move! Move!' I kind of got him under control pretty quick. I was not injured, no," said the MBTA officer, Louis Feliciano.

Feliciano was hit in the face, but was not seriously hurt.

The suspect’s attorney said his client is homeless and has mental health issues.

“He’s schizophrenic. He does take medication related to that. I spoke to a social worker…who’s working with him and she says they're trying to get him into a shelter. He has been reporting to Cambridge to a probation officer there,” said the defense attorney.

This arrest stands as a lesson to all would-be fare evaders that there are cameras and other ways they can be caught.

"We try to stop people at the fare gates before they get on to our system and create other types of disorder,” said Superintendent of MBTA Police, Joseph O’Connor.

The suspect has been ordered to stay away from the T and he will be back in court next week.