Recently over in the UK, the Blackpool Police Department, located on the Lancashire coast in North West England, posted an image of a man making off with a crate of beer cans from a restaurant on Facebook earlier this week in an effort to get leads on the alleged thief. “Do you recognize this man?” the post asked. “We want to speak to him in relation to a theft at a Blackpool restaurant on the 20th September.” You know, just your typical small town police blotter type of stuff — and definitely not national news. Except for the fact that the photo of the suspect taken from surveillance footage makes him a dead ringer for “Ross from Friends,” otherwise known to friends as David Schwimmer. After the post quickly went viral, the Blackpool Police added an update in good humor. “Thank you to everyone for your speedy responses,” it read. “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.” Indeed, Schwimmer was in America at the time, as he proved by tweeting a tongue-in-cheek video of him grabbing some beer in a New York grocery store: 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.#itwasntme pic.twitter.com/EDFF9dZoYR — schwim (@DavidSchwimmer) October 24, 2018 Others on Twitter similarly had jokes about the mix up: WE WERE ON A BREAK-IN!!! pic.twitter.com/fz07NnUq95 — Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) October 24, 2018 Honestly, the Ross-from-Friends lookalike robber story might be my favourite of 2018 pic.twitter.com/o0LEdKUbMZ — Declan Cashin Big Dec Energy (@Tweet_Dec) October 24, 2018 Breaking news from the #UK – @BlackpoolPolice has just released a picture of the thief's accomplice. pic.twitter.com/c8rrlA1H6n — Daniel J Kennedy (@MyNewtComedy) October 24, 2018 "Apparently the police had him cornered then he performed a pivot manoeuvre and escaped" ? (Police have confirmed David Schwimmer was not in the UK at the time of the alleged offence) https://t.co/DqImUZzgQI — BBC Newsbeat (@BBCNewsbeat) October 24, 2018 i hate it when a celeb tries to be a good sport. shut the fuck up ross. pic.twitter.com/KoqjDPBJor — wichita onlineman (@bobby) October 24, 2018 And the official Friends Twitter account even played along: He has the cans he stole. pic.twitter.com/G18003lOYP — The One With The Halloween Name (@FriendsWrestle) October 23, 2018 Well that was fun anyway, until a guy who looks like Joey from Friends gets caught peeing in a McDonald’s or something. We can always dream!<doc-sep>WATCH: Caroline D'Amore Discusses 'Surreal' MTV's 'The Hills: New Beginnings' Experience & Pizza Girl BusinessThe Los Angeles native discusses what it was like to join the cast of "The Hills: New Beginnings" and her new line of sauce. SEC Football: CBS Sports Announces 2021 Schedule Including Alabama At Florida On September 18The SEC on CBS kicks off on September 18 with an SEC Championship game rematch between the Crimson Tide and Gators. Mayweather Vs. Paul: Showtime Sports Announces Broadcast Team For June 6 EventThe network announced its plans for the broadcast of the pay-per-view exhibition bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Logan Paul. The 74th Annual 'Tony Awards' And 'The Tony Awards Present: Broadway's Back!' Come To CBS September 26thCBS and Tony Award Productions will celebrate Broadway’s highly anticipated return to live theatre with a multiplatform event The Tony Awards Present: Broadway's Back! Sunday, September 26th (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) broadcasting on CBS and available to stream live and on demand with Paramount+ or the CBS app. Champions League Final: Christian Pulisic 'Could Be The Difference' For Chelsea Against Manchester City Says Micah RichardsThe Champions League on CBS Sports analyst says Pulisic could have a "huge impact" on Saturday's final for Chelsea as they look to upset the favorites, Manchester City. ⚽⚽⚽ UEFA Champions League Final: How To Watch, Coverage Plan For Chelsea Vs. Manchester CityThe all England final featuring Chelsea and Manchester City is getting wall-to-wall coverage on CBS and various platforms. 📺📺📺<doc-sep>
Maybe you saw the news yesterday: On Tuesday, police in the British seaside city of Blackpool posted a photo on Facebook of a man holding a case of beer who was wanted in connection with a theft at a local restaurant. That, in and amongst itself, is not entirely remarkable—but the plea for help went viral after some sarcastic sleuths noticed the man bore a striking resemblance to former Friends actor David Schwimmer. (You know… Ross.) david-schmwimmer-beer-thief-FT-BLOG1018.jpg Credit: Jerod Harris / Stringer / Getty Images One person who definitely saw the news: David Schwimmer. To be fair to the actor—whose whereabouts aren’t tracked quite as closely as they were during his Friends heyday—Blackpool Police quick cleared his name, writing, “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.” However, Schwimmer still decided to get involved in a manner he knows well… comedy. Yesterday, he posted his own video to Facebook with the caption, “Officers, I swear it wasn't me. As you can see, I was in New York.” The video does indeed show the actor inside a New York City supermarket (the Yankees logo is front and center), but—spoiler alert—he’s also carrying a case of beer. The whole thing has certainly been a publicity boon for Schwimmer. The original post from the Blackpool police has been shared well over 100,000 times. Meanwhile, Schwimmer’s parody video has racked up over five million views in less than a day.