A man was arrested in connection with two indecent exposure incidents this week near the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul Police and school officials said.

On Wednesday, the university issued a crime alert after two female students in separate incidents reported that a man in a vehicle exposed himself and made lewd comments before driving off.

The first incident occurred at 1:20 p.m. as a student was crossing Cretin Avenue near Grand Avenue on the south side of the campus. About 10 minutes later, another student was approached by a man in a vehicle as she walked near the intersection of Selby Avenue and Finn Street. Both students reported the incidents to the school's Public Safety office.

A public safety officer spotted the suspect in the area of the university and provided a vehicle description — a silver minivan — to St. Paul Police, the school's crime alert said.

Shortly after, police arrested a 29-year-old man without incident, said Steve Linders, a spokesman for the St. Paul Police Department.

"We believed he was the suspect in both incidents," Linders said.

It was not immediately clear if the suspect was involved in a third incident reported on Jan. 14. In that case a man exposed himself to a female student who was walking in the area of Selby and Dayton Avenues.

Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768