EVERETT — Elaine Salisbury made sure her neighbors had heard the news.

Rick Schwartz advised his employees and nearby business owners to be vigilant.

Two separate sexually motivated attacks on a woman and teenage girl over the weekend have alarmed people who work and live in a south Everett neighborhood.

Snohomish County sheriff’s detectives suspect the same man is responsible for both attacks, but they don’t know for sure.

“It’s pretty disturbing. We called around in the complex to make sure they weren’t sending their female employees out by themselves,” said Schwartz, who owns Sandwich XPress near where the attacks happened.

Salisbury has lived in the neighborhood for 23 years. She had opened a window to cool down Saturday. A woman’s screams broke the early morning quiet.

“She was screaming ‘Help me! Help me!’” Salisbury said.

Her partner grabbed a flashlight and aimed the light in the direction of the commotion. The suspect hit the woman and walked off, Salisbury said. She’s thankful she was there to help. The incident has left her rattled.

“I notice I’m looking at every person, wondering if it’s him,” Salisbury said Thursday.

No arrests were made in that attack. It happened in the 12600 block of Eighth Avenue W. The next morning, four blocks away, a 17-year-old girl was walking to work when a man armed with a knife sexually assaulted her. The attacker hasn’t been found.

Both victims have provided police with similar descriptions of the man who attacked them.

Deputies have increased patrols in the area and posted fliers around the neighborhood to alert people to the attacks. Investigators are following up on tips they’ve received. They have identified two or three people they want to talk to.

“There are several great detectives, who are our neighbors and have kids of their own, who are working on this,” Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Mark Roe said. “They want to catch this guy. They will catch this guy.”

Roe, a longtime prosecutor, said he can count on one hand how many sexual predators he has faced in court. The vast majority of sexual assaults are perpetrated by someone the victim knows, such as a relative or acquaintance, Roe said.

Attacks by a stranger, he said, are exceedingly rare.

“They cause a great amount of fear and they tend to be more violent,” Roe said.

There is an urgency to find whoever is responsible, whether it’s one person or two, said sheriff’s spokeswoman Rebecca Hover.

The area where the attacks happened is near Mariner High School and Voyager Middle School. Mukilteo School District spokesman Andy Muntz said district officials are aware of the attacks. They will work with the sheriff’s office if no arrests have been made by the time classes start in two weeks.

“We’re certainly aware school starts soon. We investigate these aggressively no matter if it’s the middle of summer or school is in session,” Hover said. “We need to get this person or people out of our community now.”

People need to be cautious but they shouldn’t panic, Hover said.

“We always need to do our best to be aware of our surroundings,” she said. “This is a horrible reminder of that.”

Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.

@2. Breakout Header:Tips for staying safe

Take precautions no matter where you are. Be alert and pay attention to who is around you.

Walk in well-lit areas and in groups. Vary your walking routes and times if you walk regularly.

Trust your instincts. If you notice something suspicious, go to the nearest safe location and call 911. If you are in trouble, yell as loud as you can for help to attract attention.

The assailant in Saturday’s attack was described as a black man between 25 and 35 years old. He is about 5 feet, 10 inches tall and about 250 pounds with a muscular build. He possibly had stubble on his face and a tattoo on his left forearm.

Sunday’s suspect was described as a black man in his early 20s. He appeared to be about 5 feet, 11 inches tall with a thin muscular build.

If you recognize the person in the sketch, police ask you to call the sheriff’s tip line at 425-388-3845.