Lorraine: Ross Geller lookalike wanted for Blackpool beer theft top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Blackpool police issued an appeal on Facebook to identify a thief holding a crate of beer, but social media users were quick to notice how much the suspect looked like "Ross from Friends". Over 100,000 users bombarded the post's comments section with Friends inspired jokes. However, Blackpool Police confirmed David Schwimmer was NOT the suspect shown in the picture. They issued a statement, which read: "Thank you to everyone for your speedy responses. "We have investigated this matter thoroughly and have confirmed that David Schwimmer was in America on this date. "We're so sorry it has to be this way. " The photo appeal, which almost 66,000 shares, was flooded with tongue-in-cheek Friends quotes and puns. One wrote: I was going to read the report for this but it was 18 pages... FRONT AND BACK! It rambled on for so long that I fell asleep." Police appeal for a thief who bears a striking resemblance to Friends star David Schwimmer David Schwimmer starred in the hit 90s sitcom Friends Referencing the show's famous theme song, one user wrote: "I don't think it's been this guy's day, his week, his month or even his year." Some users were quick to quote famous Ross Geller lines in the 90s sitcom. One wrote: "Apparently the manager stole his sandwich. Eye for an eye he said." Another said: "Was he on a break?" Blackpool Police issued a statement in response to the comments Another, referencing a Friends episode where Ross says he is an expert in self-defence, wrote: "Please approach with caution. "He is known to have studied Karate and we believe he has mastered the art of Unagi, the state of total awareness." A user added: "im suprised you've not found him.....its like your always stuck in second gear..." However, some members of the public claimed Blackpool police were not treating the case seriously enough. Mr Schwimmer starred in Friends from 1994 to its final episode in 2004<doc-sep>A man said to look like actor David Schwimmer is accused of theft. LONDON -- Police on the hunt for a "Friends" character Ross Geller lookalike who is accused of theft from a restaurant in England made a public appeal that went viral. Police in Blackpool, England, posted an appeal for help in alleged theft of a coat, cellphone and wallet from a restaurant in Blackpool occurred on Sept. 20, and social media users were quick to point out the suspect’s uncanny resemblance to the much-loved sitcom character played by American actor David Schwimmer. “Do you recognize this man? We want to speak to him in relation to a theft at a Blackpool restaurant,” police said in the original appeal. The post, which went viral shortly after, shows a CCTV image released of the suspect carrying a crate of what appears to be beer, and speculation that Ross Geller may somehow be involved quickly turned to comedy. “I don't think it's been this guy's day, his week, his month or even his year,” commented Nick Croston. “Lay off him,” posted Louise Lewis. “He grew up with Monica. IF YOU DIDNT EAT FAST YOU DIDNT EAT.” And there were a number of references to the famous season two episode ‘The One with Russ’ in which Schwimmer himself plays a Ross lookalike. “That’s clearly not Ross,” wrote Sarah Willow, “They’re as different as night and... later that night.” The references to the "Friends" actor were so numerous that police felt compelled to respond, saying that David Schwimmer had been officially ruled out as a suspect. “Thank you to everyone for your speedy responses,” Blackpool police posted in reply. “We have investigated this matter thoroughly and have confirmed that David Schwimmer was in America on this date. We're so sorry it has to be this way.” Schwimmer himself responded to the viral post, sharing a parody video on Twitter, where he is seen recreating the photo. "Officers, I swear it wasn't me," he wrote. "As you can see, I was in New York. To the hardworking Blackpool Police, good luck with the investigation." Schwimmer was a series regular on the smash hit ‘Friends’ for ten years from 1994 to 2004. His performance as the bumbling paleontologist Ross garnered him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1995. And there may yet be hope for the viral post to benefit the future career of the suspect, provided he cooperates with the police authorities. “Once he has handed himself in there might be some lucrative work for him,” Andy Harman from the talent agency lookalikes.co.uk told ABC News. We would like to thank the public for the huge response we have received from this appeal thanks to the man in the image resembling a well-known actor from the popular sitcom ‘Friends’. “We can see the humorous side to this but equally for us, there is a policing purpose to these kinds of appeals on social media and in this case, it’s to help us find the man pictured, and seek justice for the victim," Inspector David Wilson from Blackpool Police said in a statement to ABC News. "We have been overwhelmed with tens of thousands of comments on our Facebook appeal and some of these have given us positive lines of enquiry which we are currently looking into."<doc-sep>
British police have had to issue a tongue-in-cheek statement confirming that they have ruled out actor David Schwimmer as a suspect in a theft case after posting a “wanted” picture of someone who bore a striking resemblance to the “Friends” star. Social media users took to Twitter and Facebook in droves after the original picture was posted on the Blackpool Police’s Facebook page on Tuesday. The force said they wanted to speak to the unidentified man about a theft at a local restaurant. “Do you recognise this man?” the post asked. Many people thought they did, or at least spied a resemblance. The post has now received 124,000 comments, and counting. “I don’t think it’s been this guy’s day, his week, his month or even his year,” one person wrote – part of the deluge of “Friends” references and Ross quotes. “The one where Ross steals beer,” someone else snickered. “People need to approach him with caution!! If provoked he may turn into red Ross, a man who’s mastered unagi,” another person said. The police have now said that Schwimmer, who is appearing in the revived “Will & Grace,” has a solid alibi. “Thank you to everyone for your speedy responses,” the cops said in a Facebook update. “We have investigated this matter thoroughly and have confirmed that David Schwimmer was in America on this date. We’re so sorry it has to be this way.” There was no update on whether the actual suspect had turned himself in or been taken in for questioning by authorities. They want to quiz him about the theft of a jacket, wallet and cellphone from Mr. Basrai’s restaurant in Blackpool, a seaside resort town in northern England famous for its beach and illuminations. “Friends” was a huge hit in Britain, where it can still be watched daily on Channel 4, Comedy Central and Netflix. Schwimmer is known to the authorities in Britain – passport-control officials, anyway – as he has come to the U.K. in the past to perform on the London stage, in Neil LaBute’s “Some Girls” in 2005, and is producing a BBC adaptation of the play “Love.” He was not, however, in Blackpool on Sept. 20 – not even on a break.