- Police in Blackpool, England, say they have found a David Schwimmer lookalike whose image went viral.
- An image of the man – a suspect in a theft – was shared thousands of times after fans noticed he looked exactly like Schwimmer, who played Ross Geller in “Friends.”
- Schwimmer joined in the joke and made a parody video on Wednesday imitating the suspect. He added the hashtag #itwasntme.
- Officers thanked the public for their interest in the case, and dropped in a final joke.
Police in England have identified a suspected thief who looks just like “Friends” actor David Schwimmer, and thanked the public for helping them out.
On Thursday, Blackpool Police tweeted: “We’re now satisfied we’ve identified the man in the still.”
Could we BE any more overwhelmed with the response to our CCTV appeal after a theft at a restaurant in Blackpool? Most importantly, we're now satisfied we've identified the man in the still & our enquiries are very much continuing. Huge thanks for sharing it with your Friends 👍 pic.twitter.com/61V2V4KMuu
— Blackpool Police (@BlackpoolPolice) October 25, 2018
The still image from Blackpool Police went viral earlier this week, as people weighed in with jokes about Ross Geller, Schwimmer’s character in “Friends”.
Here's the police photo, shared on a "Friends" fan Twitter account, complete with a "Friends" gag:
Repeat after me. I Ross, take thee Emily.
I Ross, take these cans. pic.twitter.com/cCl1fJQ2R8
— The One With All The Wrestling (@FriendsWrestle) October 23, 2018
As the post gained attention, Blackpool Police clarified that Schwimmer was not a suspect, and had been in the US at the time.
Schwimmer also heard about the case, and decided to join in with the joke. On Wednesday he posted a parody video showing himself imitating the suspect in a New York grocery store.
https://twitter.com/DavidSchwimmer/status/1055123896909864966?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
With the post he wrote: "Officers, I swear it wasn't me. As you can see, I was in New York. To the hardworking Blackpool Police, good luck with the investigation."
The man is suspected of stealing a jacket, a wallet, and a cell phone from an all-you-can-eat buffet in Blackpool, England, the BBC reported.
The police image of the suspect shows him at a different time, and he isn't necessarily doing anything illegal in the image.
Blackpool Police deleted the original post asking for help, but said it reached 23.1 million people, and was shared 113,000 times.
Officers have not released any more information about the suspect since Thursday's tweet, but they said: "Our enquiries are very much continuing."