Two women were sexually assaulted within 15 minutes of each other in an attack in the early hours.
The incidents happened on Barrack Road in the Fenham area, close to the BBC headquarters, between midnight and 2am.
Officers said the first victim reported being attacked by a stranger, but the man fled when disturbed by a passerby.
When police arrived, they found a second woman who said she had also been assaulted around 15 minutes earlier.
Both are now being supported by specialist officers as detectives investigate. Police believe the two assaults may be linked.
