MANSFIELD - A homeless man walking on railroad tracks near the downtown station held on to a chain-link fence for dear life to keep from being sucked beneath a high-speed Acela train on Christmas Eve, authorities said Friday.

Joseph J. Schaefer, 39, who lives at the Pine Street Inn homeless shelter in Boston, grabbed the fence shortly after a police officer yelled for him to get off the tracks.

Officer Jason Abramoski, who yelled to Schaefer, described "the suction of the train pulling his body toward the train as he held on," according to a police report.

Schaefer was 3 to 5 feet from the train when it sped past him, according to Abramoski.

Abramoski had been on routine patrol around 9:20 p.m. Christmas Eve when he saw Schaefer walking on the train tracks near the downtown train station and yelled for him to get off. Schaefer ignored Abramoski and raised his hand in a "disrespectful manner" before yelling that he was only walking to the train station, according to the police report.

Abramoski continued to yell to Schaefer as the warning lights and signals activated for the oncoming Acela train.

It is unknown how fast the train was traveling but Amtrak officials say the the high-speed trains are able to travel at speeds of up to 150 mph through Mansfield.

After the train went by, Abramoski arrested Schaefer for trespassing on railroad tracks and being disorderly. He was assisted by Detective Frank Archer.

A routine check revealed Schaefer was also wanted on a default warrant in South Boston District Court where he has a vandalism case pending against him.

The incident comes nearly a month after a 55-year-old local woman was struck and killed by an Acela at the train station.

Before that incident on Nov. 7, a 21-year-old Mansfield woman was killed Sept. 7 when she was struck by an MBTA commuter rail train.

Schaefer told police he was walking to the train station after his ride to Walpole never arrived.

He pleaded innocent to the charges Friday in Attleboro District Court, and was held in custody so he could be transferred to South Boston to face the pending case.

He is due back in Attleboro March 19.