Boston police are searching for a man, known only as "The Tickler," who has reportedly broken into several homes near Boston College and tickled the feet of sleeping students.

"This is no myth," Sergeant Michael O'Hara, a community service officer for the Boston Police Department, told Boston.com. "It's happening."

Over the past two years, The Tickler, described by witnesses a 5'8" black man, has been spotted at least 10 times, including several times during one night last April.

Several witnesses described their brushes or near-brushes with The Tickler to Boston.com.

Last October, Boston College junior Teddy Raddell said he was woken by his screaming roommate.

"I thought my roommate had fallen down the steps," Raddell said. "But then he started yelling. I got up and he said that he had woken up to someone touching his feet."

Raddell said the man only seemed interested in tickling feet. "The guy didn't take anything and there were laptops and wallets out in the main room," he said.

Another Boston College junior, Daniel Marenzi, said he woke to the man tickling his feet last October. "I thought my friend was just trying to annoy me, but I soon realized it wasn't anyone I knew," Marenzi said. "I freaked out and sat up but he was already on the way out."

Some victims have called for more police presence in the area, though Sgt. O'Hara doesn't think that will help.

"People calling in saying they want more patrol cars won't do anything. They need to report crimes when they happen," he said. "It's a low crime area. We patrol areas based on the crime statistics."

O'Hara added that police have no leads in the case.

[Image via Shutterstock]