San Diego police are investigating two incidents in Golden Hill where the victims say an intruder attacked them in their own homes.
The normally quiet historic neighborhood is sleepless with grave concerns for the safety of residents.
It's a neighborhood that often leaves its doors unlocked and windows open but not anymore, not with the fear of a sex predator on the street.
One woman was sexually assaulted in her home in the 2400 block of E Street at 1:30 a.m. on March 10.
Then, on April 14 around 5 a.m. another woman, in the 2400- block of Broadway, woke up to an intruder choking her in her own bed. She fought off the attacker.
A dark-skinned man, 5-foot 8-inches tall, weighing 160 pounds with pock marked cheeks and speaks with is an accent is how the two women victims describe their attacker according to San Diego police.
Rhoads Osbourne helped frighten him away from his neighbor’s bedroom during last week’s home invasion but gives credit to the victim.
“By fighting this guy it took away the two things a perpetrator needs which are time and privacy,” Osbourne said.
One month earlier in the same block , another woman was sexually assaulted in her home, She was alone with the door unlocked.
As recent as Tuesday morning - and not two doors down from the second victim’s home - a Broadway Home resident had to chase out an intruder they fear is the same suspect.
“There were all kinds of police here and they were walking around looking through the house for somebody,” resident Jerry Foshee said.
Golden Hill isn't panicked but taking precautions.
“It's very scary and I am very afraid and I have some problems with that” resident Kathy Cook said.
In one apartment complex, flyers hang offering self-defense classes.
Resident Faryl Zaklin admittedly is no crimefighter but she's walking tall.
“Go for the knees, go for the head go for the neck,” Zaklin demonstrated with a three foot bamboo club in her hand.
Police say they have no physical evidence linking the sexual assault, with the attempted attack but say in each case the intruder came in the early morning hours, the victims were alone, and they lived within a few houses from each other.