BANGOR – Police are hunting for a young male burglar who pepper-sprayed an 80-year-old woman Wednesday night while trying to steal from her. He is believed to be involved in a dozen or more robberies reported since Aug. 20.

The suspect is described as a thin, white male, 5 feet 7 inches tall, with short, cropped, black hair and between the ages of 17 and 20, Bangor police Lt. Tim Reid said Thursday.

“There were probably eight [burglaries] yesterday on the heels of several others we’ve had since August 20,” he said. “We’re probably looking at 12 to 15.”

And police took at least two additional burglary reports Thursday.

“We don’t know if they’re all connected,” but they are similar in nature, Reid said. “The method of entry has varied. There have been some houses that were unlocked. There have been several screens cut … and a couple with windows broken.”

For the most part the suspect has looked for easy targets – open windows or doors with valuables lying around. A couple of cell phones and purses and cash have been reported missing.

“Some of the items have been recovered [that] were dropped later,” Reid said, adding that officers were checking those items for fingerprints or other evidence.

The robber was caught in the act twice by homeowners Wednesday evening, once by the female octogenarian who stood her ground when confronted.

“At one house on James Street, he was interrupted and threatened the homeowner with what is believed to be a can of Mace, and then fled the residence,” Reid said.

After leaving that dwelling, the suspect attempted to rob a home on Silver Road and “was interrupted by an elder lady in her 80s,” he said. “He actually sprayed her with Mace.”

The woman was treated at her house for her injuries and didn’t need to go to the hospital, and police “do not believe he took anything from her,” Reid added.

The first robbery report Wednesday came in to police at 5:40 p.m., and the last was reported at 11:09 p.m.

In the past two weeks, police responded to three reports of robberies on Silver Road, a couple on West Broadway and Cedar Street, and others on Nelson Street, McLaughlin Street, Highland Avenue and James Street.

“They were prominently on the west side,” Reid said. “[However,] there is nothing to say we won’t see something on the east side today.”

Police are cautioning residents to keep their doors and windows closed and locked, especially when no one is at home, and to be extra vigilant.

“Keep an eye on both your property and your neighbor’s and your neighborhood,” Reid said.

Anyone who sees someone who matches the description and who is acting suspicious, casing property or looking in windows, should contact police immediately, he said.

“It appears at this point it’s one person on foot literally walking in some cases door-to-door looking for an easy place” to rob, Reid said. “If the door is locked, in all likelihood he’ll go to someplace else.”

The police are working with the victims to draw up a composite sketch of the suspect.