A suspect in an alleged daytime assault on a Kitchener walking trail is being sought.

Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) released a video Wednesday showing what appears to be a person tightly following someone else on a trail, before running off in the opposite direction.

They say a female was sexually assaulted around noon on Tuesday while walking on a trail near Moorland Crescent. She sustained minor injuries.

The suspect ran off on Sedgewood Street towards Fenside Street.

"It hit pretty close to home," said Aaron Hansen, founder of the neighbourhood watch group Doon Nighthawks. "It has the community very concerned.

"Everybody is a lot more vigilant in their day to day watching each other. The communication is incredible, but everyone is very concerned about this particular incident."

Hansen lives in the area and founded the group nine months ago.

"The part of the trail is behind some homes," said Hansen. "It does back on to some green space. It is not that visible to the public."

Police are looking for a white male with a slim build, dark hair, wearing a green jacket with a fur-lined hood, black pants and shoes, and a surgical mask.

They're asking people in the area who might have more video to contact them.

"We're encouraging anyone who lives in the neighbourhood who has doorbell cameras, any sort of video surveillance, anything you may see on there that may be of interest to police or suspicious, please contact us," said Const. Brad Hickey of WRPS. "This type of incident is very concerning for the community and we want to ensure the community that we are working very hard on this investigation."

Police have set up an evidence submission portal online where people can upload any video they think could help the investigation.