Unknown man harasses children in Bamberg – police are looking for witnesses!

Unknown man harasses children in Bamberg – police are looking for witnesses!

A disturbing incident occurred on Monday evening, September 15, 2025, in Bamberg. A man approached several children in a backyard on Starkenfelstrasse and harassed them inappropriately. Loud In Franconia This happened around 6:30 p.m. when the stranger asked the playing children to help him open a back door. Luckily, an attentive resident responded and confronted the man. Before the alert police arrived, the man walked away towards the Berliner Ring.

The description of the suspect could be helpful: He is estimated to be around 40 years old, is around 1.75 meters tall and has a normal to strong build. His short, dark hair was hidden under a dark baseball cap. He also wore a dark jacket, long sweatpants with a light stripe on the side and a noticeable white bandage on his left hand. Witnesses who can provide information about the man's identity are asked to contact the police on 0951/9129-491.

Another incident in Bamberg

In addition to this incident, a five-year-old girl in Lichteneiche, Bamberg district, was the victim of sexual harassment by an unknown perpetrator on Sunday afternoon. As the Bavaria Police According to reports, the incident occurred around 5 p.m. on a footpath between Gundelsheimer Strasse and Schlesienstrasse, near a children's playground behind a high-rise building. The perpetrator opened his pants, showed his naked genitals and harassed the girl with offensive comments. He then fled towards Schlesienstrasse while the child ran away in panic. Here too, the Bamberg criminal police have started investigating and are asking for information from witnesses.

These incidents paint a disturbing picture about the safety of children in our society. According to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), the number of registered sexual crimes against children and young people remained consistently high in 2024. A total of 16,354 cases were recorded among children and 1,191 among adolescents, a figure that is above the five-year average. What is particularly worrying is the 8.5 percent increase in youth pornographic content to 9,601 cases in a single year, as the BKA highlighted in its current statistics. Dealing with digital media poses an additional risk for minors, as perpetrators often use the Internet to establish contact with them and initiate sexual contacts.

Need for action and prevention

Raising awareness about sexual harassment and raising awareness among children remains an essential task for society. Programs like the #dontsendit campaign, which train children and young people to handle personal content responsibly, are urgently needed. Even though the police are trying to combat this type of crime with an increased focus on technical advances and AI applications, the dark field of unreported crimes remains a major challenge.

The BKA appeals to parents and legal guardians to proactively inform children about risks and teach children how to behave correctly in dangerous situations.