A suspect in the robbery of three women in and near public housing developments on the Lower East Side in December 2015. (Credit: NYPD)

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Police late Wednesday were trying to find a suspect in a string of robberies in the areas of public housing developments on the Lower East Side.

The robberies took place in elevators and stairwells, and the targets were all women, police said.

The first robbery happened around 5:50 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, in an apartment building at Baruch Drive and East Houston Street, in the area of the Baruch Houses development. A man came up to a 26-year-old woman in an elevator and tried to take her purse, police said.

The victim resisted, and the suspect did not get the purse, police said. The man ran off.

The second incident happened at 6:15 p.m. Monday, Dec. 21, in a building near Columbia and East Houston streets – also in the area of the Baruch Houses. This time, the man rode the elevator with a 23-year-old woman and got off one floor below the one the victim selected, police said.

Once the elevator doors opened for the victim’s floor, the suspect was in the hallway, police said. He got back into the elevator and took the woman’s Coach purse with an ID card, a cellphone charger, pink sunglasses and a pay stub, police said.

The victim refused medical attention, police said.

In a third incident on Wednesday, Dec. 30, at 10:48 p.m. in an apartment building near Henry and Montgomery streets, the suspect followed a 30-year-old woman as she entered a stairwell, police said.

The suspect then grabbed the victim from behind and demanded her money, police said. The victim resisted and suffered scratches on the right side of her face, but nothing was taken, police said.

This victim also refused medical attention.

The suspect was also connected to a fourth incident at Delancey and Clinton streets at 1 p.m. Dec. 28. In this incident, an 88-year-old woman was knocked to the ground inside her building and the suspect took her purse and ran off, police said.

The woman was not injured.

The suspect was described as being 30 to 35 years old, standing 6 feet tall and weighing 170 pounds. Police released a surveillance photo taken in a building lobby before the second incident.

Anyone with information was asked to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS, log onto the Crime Stoppers website, or text tips to 274637 (CRIMES) and enter TIP577.