Investigators believe that a man responsible for exposing himself to a woman near a gym in Palo Alto on Thursday is the same person who exposed himself to a woman a half-mile away on Tuesday, police said.

The woman victimized on Thursday was walking in a hallway beside the Equinox fitness center at 440 Portage Ave. at 6:52 a.m. when she saw a man standing outside with his pants pulled down, police said.

The woman told a gym staff member that the man had fled east on Acacia Avenue toward a Fry's Electronics store, according to police.

The employee phoned police, but the victim said she did not want to be involved and left the scene before officers arrived, police said.

Investigators are trying to locate the victim to obtain a description of the suspect to draw a composite sketch, police said.

The fitness center employee told police the woman described the suspect as a white man who is about 6 feet to 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighs about 180 pounds and has dark hair, according to police.

The man was wearing black sweatpants and a black sweatshirt with the hood pulled over his head.

On Tuesday, a woman reported to police that a man exposed himself to her in a parking lot on Sherman Avenue at 11:14 p.m., police said.

Police detectives think the same suspect was involved in both incidents based on similar descriptions of the man and that both took place within a half-mile of each other.

Officers have increased patrols in the area in response to the incidents, police said.

Indecent exposure is a misdemeanor crime on first offense but becomes a felony if the suspect has a prior conviction, police said.

Anyone with information about the cases is urged to call the Palo Alto police dispatch center at (650) 329-2413.