David Schwimmer lookalike: Man arrested over beer theft

The one where Ross is off the hook

A suspected beer thief who unwittingly found internet fame due to his strong resemblance to “Friends” actor David Schwimmer has been arrested in London, police have said.

A security clip of the suspect went viral after it was noticed the man, who allegedly stole a crate of beer from a restaurant in Blackpool, bore a striking similarity to Schwimmer’s character Ross, from the popular 1990s TV show.

Lancashire police said a 36-year-old man was arrested in Southall, south west London, on Monday night.

The suspect with a crate of beer (PA)

After the appeal, David Schwimmer himself posted a copycat video in which he appeared to furtively steal a crate of beer from a shop.

He captioned the video: “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.”

It appears his efforts were appreciated by the police in the UK.

In a statement posted on Facebook, Lancashire police said: “Following the appeal we posted looking for a man who resembles a well-known actor from the popular sitcom 'Friends', we now have an update.

“Thanks to our colleagues Metropolitan Police Service, a 36-year-old man was arrested in Southall last night on suspicion of theft.”

“We would like to thank you all for the huge response we received and a special thanks to David Schwimmer for seeing the funny side of our appeal!”

After the original appeal went viral, Lancashire police said: “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.”