Portland police are investigating a series of burglaries including five residential break-ins that happened last night.

Residents at two homes on the 400 block of Cumberland Avenue, a house on Walker Street, one on Deering Street and another at Neal Street all reported either burglaries or break-in attempts.

The residents at Neal Street came home at 11:30 p.m. Tuesday to find a man trying to break a side door window with a piece of wood. They pulled in to the driveway so the headlights illuminated him and he ran off.

He was described as a white man, five-feet-10, about 160 pounds, who was wearing a dark T-shirt, tan cargo pants and carrying a backpack, police said.

An attempt to break into the house on Walker Street was thwarted when the burglar alarm went off, rousing the residents.

Police also are investigating a series of six car burglaries on Deering Street that happened over the past two days.