Sydney police hunt for man who approached and grabbed young girl

Police are on the hunt for a man who grabbed a seven-year-old girl while she was playing with friends in Sydney’s west.

Around 6pm yesterday, a man approached a group of children playing a game of marbles inside an open garage area part of a block of flats in Northumberland Road in Auburn.

Police believe the man enticed the girl to come over to him and lifted her off the ground, grabbing her in a bear hug.

The little girl screamed and one of her friends raced off get her father who was close by.

The man then quickly left the area and was last sighted walking north along Northumberland Road.

“I called him over, I said ‘wait I’m coming’, Father Javed Muhammad said.

“Within five to ten seconds I ran to the road and I tried to find him, but he vanished.”

Police were called to the incident immediately where they conducted a search of the surrounding area but were unable to locate him.

The man is described as being Caucasian in appearance, aged approximately 25, about 170-175cm tall and wearing a white baseball cap with a white zip-up jumper and dark jeans entered the garage where the girls were playing.

Police are appealing to anyone with information who may have witnessed the incident to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.