A picture of a car stolen by a sexual assault suspect. Courtesy of LBPD.

Long Beach police are asking the public for help in locating the suspect in a sexual assault and car theft incident that occurred early Thursday morning, according to a department press release.

At 11:55 p.m. Wednesday, officers responded to the area of Long Beach Boulevard and Willow Street following reports of a burglary, police said. At the scene, officers found a 22-year-old woman who said she was in her home when a man broke in through the window. The woman called 911 but the suspect fled before police arrived.

Fifteen minutes later, officers were dispatched one block away to Atlantic Avenue and Willow Street regarding a second burglary call. At the scene, officers found that a 66-year-old woman had been sexually assaulted after a man entered her home through a window.

The man then took the woman’s keys and stole her car, a royal blue 2020 Mitsubishi Eclipse with Arizona license plate number AJZ3649.

Sex crime detectives believe the same man is the suspect of both incidents, according to the release.

The suspect is described as a Black man age 45-50, with a dark complexion and a goatee, police said. The suspect was last seen wearing a black hooded jacket, knitted beanie, black jeans and black shoes.

Anyone with information, or is the victim of a similar crime, may contact Long Beach Police Dispatch at 562-435-6711 or the Long Beach Police Sex Crimes Detail at 562-570-7368. Anonymous tips may be submitted by calling 1-800-222-8477, downloading the “P3 Tips” app or visiting lacrimestoppers.org.

Brandon Richardson is a reporter and photojournalist for the Long Beach Post and Long Beach Business Journal.