TORONTO, Ont. – Police are investigating a possible connection between three recent sexual assaults in the Bloor and Christie area and a series of attacks that took place over the summer in the same area, while those living in the area are being told to report anything suspicious.

Three sexual assaults happened over the Thanksgiving long weekend. Two women were assaulted near Montrose Avenue and Harbord Street Saturday night, while a third was assaulted near Grace and Bloor streets Sunday night.

In the Sunday night assault, at approximately 11:45 p.m. a woman was walking southbound on Grace Street when a man approached her from behind and assaulted her, police said.

The suspect fled northbound on Grace Street.

The suspect is described as a black man, 23-25, 5-foot-5 to 5-foot-6 with a heavy build and short, dark hair.

A suspect fitting a similar description is sought in connection to the two assaults near Montrose and Harbord.

The victims were also assaulted from behind in those cases, with the assaults taking place just five minutes apart.

In the first incident, at approximately 10:55 p.m., a woman was walking southbound on Montrose Avenue when a man approached her from behind and assaulted her, Toronto police said.

Police are seeking a black man with a medium complexion, 20-30, 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-10, with a heavy build who is clean-shaven.

In the second incident, a woman was walking southbound on Montrose Avenue when a man approached her from behind and assaulted her, police said.

Police are seeking a black man, 25-25, 5-foot-7 to 5-foot-8, with a stocky, chubby build and short, possibly shaved hair.

In each case, the suspect fled northbound on Montrose Avenue.

680News reporter Carl Hanstke stopped by the Bloor and Christie streets to area to see how residents were feeling.

“It’s creepy here, I’m scared… Everyday to come home and to go to work I walk here,” said one woman.

In a news conference on Tuesday, Detective Suzanne Kernahan said the key to catching the suspect is for neighbours in the Bloor and Christie area to be nosy, keep watch and call in anything suspicious.

“Please call 911. The sooner we can get to the scene, the sooner we can gather some evidence and the sooner we can help,” she explained. “The public may have seen something and they’re not sure that it’s actually suspicious, but if they see anyone around these times, please give us a call.”

“We have increased patrols in the area, we will be conducting canvases looking for more information, going door to door,” she added.

The suspect description in these three assaults also matches the description of a suspect wanted for 10 sexual assaults in the Bloor and Christie streets area over the past summer, and police are looking into whether all assaults could have been committed by the same man but say it’s impossible to positively determine that.

Investigators do believe the suspect is familiar with the community, which may be why he is able to escape quickly after an attack, and Kernahan said officers aren’t being called in time.

“We need to be called quickly so that we can get into the area.”

The Thanksgiving weekend attacks are the first in the area since late August. Kernahan believes increased police patrols and media attention likely scared the suspect into hiding.

A composite sketch is in the works.