LOWER EAST SIDE, Manhattan -- New York City Police are searching for a man accused of raping a woman and attempting to rape two others in just three hours in the Lower East Side.

Authorities say the first incident happened at 5:40 a.m. when the man followed a 33-year-old woman into her apartment on James Street, grabbed her and attempted to rape and rob her. The woman was able to fight the suspect off and he fled the area. No injuries were reported.

Two hours later at 7:40 a.m., the suspect followed a 24-year-old woman into her building on Broome Street, grabbed her by the shoulders and grabbed her ID from her hand. The woman screamed and the man fled. No injuries were reported.

The third attack happened at 8:45 a.m. as a 40-year-old woman was walking into her apartment on the FDR Drive when she noticed the suspect emerge from the stairwell. He attempted to engage her in conversation and as he spoke, police say he forced her into the apartment and raped her. The woman was taken to the hospital where she was treated and released.

The suspect is a black man in his mid-twenties to mid-thirties, 5'9" to 5'10" tall.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS.

The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.