A 24-year-old man from Gambia remains in custody after police arrested him in connection with a rapid series of alleged sexual attacks on three women in Heidelberg. During the incidents, he allegedly attempted to rape the three women in short succession by dragging them into a cornfield.
Authorities say the incidents unfolded within roughly half an hour on Tuesday morning, Aug. 18, 2026, in an open field area beside the Pfaffengrund cemetery.
According to statements from the Mannheim police headquarters and the Heidelberg public prosecutor’s office, the suspect was walking in the fields around 10:00 a.m. when he approached a woman who was out with her dog. He is accused of grabbing her by the chest and attempting to pull her into a nearby cornfield. The woman shouted and fought back, managing to break free and run away, according to German newspaper Wochenblatt.
Minutes later, between approximately 10:25 and 10:30 a.m., the same man allegedly targeted two other female walkers separately. In each case he seized their hands or wrists and tried to force them toward the cornfield. Both women resisted vigorously, and he eventually released them without succeeding.
Witnesses who saw the confrontations contacted emergency services. Officers launched an immediate search and detained the suspect a short time later. During the arrest, he is further accused of grabbing a female police officer’s crotch.
The following day, the 24-year-old appeared before an investigating judge at the Heidelberg District Court. At the prosecutor’s request the judge issued an arrest warrant on suspicion of multiple counts of attempted sexual assault, sexual harassment, and additional related offenses. He was then transferred to a correctional facility.
Investigators have indicated they are examining possible other incidents linked to the same individual. The joint probe by the Heidelberg public prosecutor’s office and the criminal police continues.
The case has parallels with many other cases covered by Remix News over the years, including a case where a woman successfully fought off a migrant with a horse whip when he tried to drag her off her horse and rape her.
