CHERRY HILL -- A PATCO police officer has been suspended following an altercation in which a train passenger at Woodcrest Station was knocked onto the railroad tracks, according to a report from Philly.com.

Michael Fiocca, a Port Authority Transit Corp. officer since 2014, approached 48-year-old Ryan Patterson of Philadelphia after seeing Patterson walk from the eastbound platform to the westbound side on the evening of May 3. In police documents cited by Philly.com, Fiocca wrote that he initially believed Patterson was trying to ride the train longer than his ticket allowed.

Patterson, who had boarded in Camden, claimed he had initially gotten on a train heading in the wrong direction and was simply trying to switch trains at Woodcrest.

Fiocca claimed Patterson used profanity and argued with the officer throughout the conversation, prompting him to try to arrest the passenger.

Fiocca said he pepper sprayed Patterson when the passenger resisted arrest. A struggle ensued, during which Fiocca used his baton to strike Patterson on the legs.

Fiocca eventually got Patterson to sit on a bench, the report says, but Patterson again pulled away when the officer tried to arrest him. Then, Fiocca claimed, he hit Patterson on the legs again with his baton. The officer said that Patterson stood up again and lost his balance, falling on to the tracks.

Patterson, meanwhile, claims that he fell onto the tracks after the second time he was pepper sprayed.

Fiocca called workers to shut off power to the tracks, and it took about 10 minutes before Patterson could be lifted back onto the platform. Although he complained of bruising from the baton, the man avoided being shocked by the electric third rail.

A spokesman for the Delaware River Port Authority, which operates PATCO, directed all inquiries to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office. The prosecutor's office declined to comment, however.

Andy Polhamus may be reached at apolhamus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ajpolhamus. Find NJ.com on Facebook.