Just moments after police in the British city of Blackpool posted a photo of a suspect they wanted to speak to in connection with an alleged theft, social media lit up with comments from people pointing out how the man bore a striking resemblance to actor David Schwimmer.
The photo gained so much attention this week that the Friends star himself responded with an amusing video in a bid to clear his name.
The bizarre episode kicked off at the start of the week when Lancashire Police posted an image (right) of the alleged thief carrying a crate of cans as he left a restaurant in the coastal city of Blackpool, Engl
and.
“Do you recognise this man?” the cops asked in the post. “We want to speak to him in relation to a theft at a Blackpool restaurant.”
The post quickly went viral, with numerous people noting the likeness between the man in the picture and the famous American actor.
Schwimmer eventually heard about it, and took a few minutes out of his day to post a tweet letting cops know it couldn’t have been him. In a video replicating the scene shown in the photo, Schwimmer is seen scuttling off holding a crate of beers.
He writes: “Officers, I swear it wasn’t me. As you can see, I was in New York,” adding, “To the hardworking Blackpool Police, good luck with the investigation.”
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
In a nod to the theme tune of the show that brought Schwimmer global fame, Lancashire Police responded directly to the actor: “Thanks for being there for us, @davidschwimmer. #appreciate the support”
Schwimmer’s comical response proved a big hit with his fans, with one suggesting he had “officially won the internet.”
David Schwimmer has officially won the internet! Love him so much for this. And just shows the power of sharing on social media.
https://t.co/KGtAAU0z6X— Natalie Baker (@nattybstokie) October 24, 2018
And, of course, it wasn’t long before the memes started to appear:
You sure it wasn’t you? @DavidSchwimmer #friends #davidschwimmer @FriendsTV @BlackpoolPolice pic.twitter.com/ibYAN3PVyA
— Lounicorn (@LouiseWhan) October 24, 2018
Before Schwimmer posted his tweet, the police had already confirmed that the star was most definitely not a suspect in the alleged crime, saying, “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.”
As for the suspect, he hasn’t been picked up yet, but the huge amount of publicity the case has received means it’s probably only a matter of time … guess he might try to convince police that he actually is David Schwimmer.
