LANHAM, Md. (CBSDC)- Two women may be the 16th and 17th victims of a ‘serial groper’ who has been assaulting women in the Springfield area since September.

Two assaults that occurred within blocks of each other were reported to police Wednesday afternoon. In the first incident, a 30-year-old woman was walking on Dinwiddie Street near Dana Avenue around 3:10 p.m. when someone approached her from behind, grabbed and groped her, then fled.

She described the suspect as a 5-foot-6 Hispanic man with a neatly trimmed beard and a sweatshirt.

At about 3:35 p.m., a 25-year-old reported being groped as she was walking on Backlick Road near the intersection of Cabin John Road beneath the 495 underpass.

The suspect fled from that scene, as well, and was described by the woman as a 5-foot-6 Hispanic man wearing a black jacket and blue jeans.

Police are not sure if the cases are linked, but are investigating the possibility that the assaults are related to 15 similar incidents that have occurred in the past several months. Many of the victims, who range in age from 15 to 49, have described their attacker as a Hispanic male.

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Police composite sketch of the man believed to be a serial groper in Springfield. (Credit: Fairfax County Police)