Officers canvassed a neighbourhood in Richmond Hill on Friday, warning residents they are still searching for a male suspect wanted in connection with two violent sexual assaults in the Greater Toronto Area.

The assaults happened more than a year apart, the first in Mississauga on Sept. 27, 2013 and the second in Richmond Hill on Nov. 13, 2014.

In the first incident, police say a female victim was exiting a bus in the South Service Road and Crestview Avenue area around midnight. Police say an unknown male suspect carrying a weapon approached her and pulled her to a darkened area, where she was sexually assaulted.

In the second incident, police say a female victim was also exiting a bus when she was approached by an unknown male suspect. Police say she was in the Yonge Street and Bernard Avenue area at approximately 12:30 a.m. It's alleged the suspect demanded money from the victim, before pulling her to a wooded area and sexually assaulting her.

Police believe both incidents are linked and that the male suspect appears to be targeting female victims with a slight build who are exiting buses after dark.

"At that time of the night, it’s obviously relatively dark. Vehicle traffic, pedestrian traffic is much slower," Det. Simon James told reporters in Richmond Hill.

On Thursday, York Regional Police released a re-enactment of the Richmond Hill assault on YouTube. Police also released a security surveillance video that shows a person of interest who may have witnessed the attack.

Residents in the area say they are on high alert following the incident.

"I always make sure I have my phone with me," Shannon McGuire, 23, told CTV Toronto. "I don't walk on that side of the street," she said, referring the empty field where the Richmond Hill attack happened.

The male suspect is described as being of East Asian descent and between 5'10 and 6' tall. He has a muscular build, a light to medium skin tone and was last seen wearing a covering over his face. It's believed that during one of the incidents, a victim bit the suspect's hand and that may have left a mark.

Anyone with information is asked to call 1-866-876-5423, ext. 2400, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

With a report from CTV Toronto's John Musselman