Police are on the hunt for a brazen intruder wanted in a string of home invasions and sex assaults in south Etobicoke early Tuesday.

Six homes were broken into between midnight and 5 a.m. and several residents of the Stonegate-Queensway neighbourhood — including a teenager and a 91-year-old woman — were sexually assaulted.

The attacks came nearly two weeks after a masked intruder broke into three homes in a nearby area of Etobicoke and sexually assaulted two women, aged 62 and 70, in the middle of the night. Police would not say whether they believe the same suspect is involved in both cases.

The Tuesday attacker boldly continued to break into homes on streets near Prince Edward Dr. and Barry Rd. even as police arrived to investigate the first call for help.

“We consider him to be a very, very serious offender and we want him off the streets,” said Insp. Gerry Cashman.

The suspect is one of several sexual predators who remain at large after a string of assaults in three Toronto neighbourhoods this summer.

Police believe the same attacker has sexually assaulted four women in the Church Wellesley Village downtown — one in April and three at the end of August. Police allege the man befriends women who live on the street, lures them to nearby buildings and attacks them.

Investigators are searching for Thomas Reardon, 34, also known as Thomas Thornhill, in connection with the attacks.

Meanwhile, in the Annex, police believe another assailant has attacked multiple women. Ten victims have come forward to report assaults near Bloor and Christie Sts. since early July, their stories disturbingly similar: a male aggressor follows lone women, attacks from behind and takes off on foot. The suspect is described as a black male, about 6 feet tall with a stocky build, likely in his 20s or 30s.

No victims were hospitalized as a result of the Tuesday night assaults in Etobicoke. A police helicopter and K9 unit were brought in to assist with the overnight search.

Residents who live in the area where the break-ins occurred — a neighbourhood of two-storey brick houses and postwar bungalows — said they woke after midnight to hear shouting coming from their backyards.Police knocked on doors, asking residents if they had seen a man wearing a hoodie and advising them to lock their doors and windows.

One resident, who would not give his name, described hearing his neighbour cry out in the middle of the night.

“I heard a yell ... I got up and went to my back door and I saw someone running down my driveway,” said the neighbour, who noted that police were on the scene within minutes.

Investigators remain tight-lipped about the attacks. Police would not confirm how many women were sexually assaulted, or how the attacker broke in. The suspect is described as a slim male, about 6 feet tall. Police are urging him to get a lawyer and turn himself in.

Some neighbours were upset about what they felt was a lack of information coming from police. Many did not know about previous home invasions and assaults that occurred Sept. 7.

“That’s something new to me,” said Joseph Malas, 87. “They should tell what they know, the police.”

“Personally I think they should at least release a sketch of this person. Someone might recognize him,” said one neighbourhood resident who would not give her name, citing fear because the attacker is at large. “We are a street where everyone knows everyone and everyone notices everything.”

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The assaults happened in the region bounded by Bloor St. W., Islington Ave., The Queensway and the Humber River. Police said the suspect did not just break into women’s homes, but “a multitude of homes.”

Police said there will be officers stationed in the neighbourhood 24 hours a day now. Investigators are asking residents to check on their neighbours, examine their homes for signs of attempted intrusion and review any surveillance footage they may have. Anyone with information that would help with the investigation is asked to call Toronto Police at 416-808-2200.

With files from Vidya Kauri