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Drama on the Wupper: fugitive splashes into the water in front of the police!
On July 14, 2025, a man in Wuppertal fled from the police and jumped into the Wupper, where he was later rescued.
Drama on the Wupper: fugitive splashes into the water in front of the police!
An exciting and at the same time worrying event occurred yesterday evening in Wuppertal. As the WZ According to reports, the police were alerted around 6:30 p.m. by a witness who noticed a man selling stolen electronic items on Morianstrasse. When the police arrived, the suspect immediately fled and sprinted towards Döppersberg, where he finally jumped into the Wupper.
The situation escalated quickly. Several police officers pursued the alleged perpetrator, who went into the water and waded to a scaffolding on the cable car. In order to ensure the safety of passengers, the suspension railway service was stopped for a short time as a precaution. A courageous effort by the fire department finally brought the 42-year-old man back to shore at around 6:45 p.m. After his rescue, it turned out that he did not have a valid residence permit, whereupon he was temporarily arrested and taken to police custody for a health assessment.
The background to crime
Such incidents often raise questions - not only about the acts themselves, but also about their causes. A look at the general statistics on crime in Germany shows that migration to Germany has not contributed to increased crime over the last 20 years. The Media service integration notes that the number of crimes overall has fallen, although the number of foreigners in Germany has increased by over 70 percent. Between 2005 and 2019, the number of crimes without violations of immigration law fell by around 16 percent.
What is particularly striking is that violent crimes were also reduced by 15 percent over the same period. Despite the increased number of foreign suspects - almost 42 percent of suspects in 2024 - demographic factors must be taken into account. A large proportion of these people are younger men, who generally have higher crime rates. In addition, many acts of violence take place among migrants themselves, which is often overlooked in reporting.
Media reporting and the image of foreigners
The media is also being criticized at the moment. According to the media service integration, violent crimes committed by foreigners are discussed disproportionately often, which leads to overrepresentation in the public. A third of the reports in 2023 mentioned the origin of the suspect, with foreigners being mentioned in over 84 percent of the cases. This one-sidedness can distort the image of an entire group and often generates prejudices.
It is therefore of great importance to rely on the full range of statistical data when assessing such incidents. The Police NRW attaches great importance to providing well-founded and up-to-date information, but a more differentiated view needs to be created in public perception.
The events in Wuppertal are a clear indication that crime has complex causes and that more than simple attribution is necessary to understand the truth behind the statistics. In today's society, many factors play into the perception of crime and its perpetrators - this should not go unnoticed.