Serial Pants-er on Loose in Livermore

Wearing sweatpants in public is more than poor taste -- in Livermore, it could get you exposed.

Police are searching for a "serial pants-er," an unknown man who allegedly has been targeting female joggers whose running pants or shorts he yanks down before running away.

The women are not physically hurt or sexually assaulted other than the removal of their pants.

Six incidents have been recorded in Livermore since 2007, according to police, who are "baffled" by the case, according to reports. The most recent incident was on April 24, the second in 2011.

Descriptions of the suspect vary, from a white man to a Latino man, from a man in his 20s to one in his 40s. He's 5 feet 8 to 6 feet tall and weighs between 175 and 200 pounds.

Police are investigating the case searching for a single suspect, according to police Sgt. Paul Mayer.

"We're not positive it is the same person, but we are treating it like it is," he said. "it's odd... it's hard to wrap your mind around what he's trying to do."

Victims have ranged in age from 19 to 43. All were women, and all were wearing headphones (in addition to sweatpants).

Covering all prank angles, police investigated the possibility of a "sharker." "Sharking" is the practice of pants-ing someone, exposing private parts, and then filming the experience and posting it to the Internet. Big in Britain, "sharking" is evidently not at play in Livermore, according to police, who scored YouTube for footage of Livermore de-pantsing and found nothing.

Joking aside, the incidents are crimes and joggers in Livermore are on high alert.

"There is kind of a fear factor now," jogger Lynn Murray told the Contra Costa Times.