--- ---  # Police Identify David Schwimmer Lookalike Who Went Viral for Theft  by [Billy Perrigo](https://time.com/author/billy-perrigo/)  ## Billy Perrigo Correspondent Oct 26, 2018 11:50 AM UTC  David Schwimmer as Ross Geller David Schwimmer as Ross GellerDavid Hume Kennerly—Getty Images  by [Billy Perrigo](https://time.com/author/billy-perrigo/)  ## Billy Perrigo Correspondent Oct 26, 2018 11:50 AM UTC Police in the U.K. [searching for a man](http://time.com/5433062/police-ross-friends/) resembling David Schwimmer, who played Ross Geller from _Friends_, have announced they have identified the suspect. The Lancashire police force’s photo of the suspect carrying a crate of beer went viral as social media users pointed out the man – wanted in connection with the theft of a jacket, cell phone and wallet – looked like Schwimmer. > [](https://twitter.com/YoMelloYello/status/1055034731815944194) Users quickly began referencing popular lines from the show. “Shouldn’t he be at work… or is he on a break?” asked one. Schwimmer himself even got in on the action, posting a statement denying responsibility, alongside a video of him carrying a crate of beer. “Officers, I swear it wasn’t me,” he said. “As you can see, I was in New York. To the hardworking Blackpool Police, good luck with the investigation.” > [](https://twitter.com/DavidSchwimmer/status/1055123896909864966) Lancashire police thanked the public in a tweet for their help with the investigation. “Could we BE any more overwhelmed with the response to our CCTV appeal about 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,” the force wrote. They had earlier confirmed that Schwimmer had been ruled out as a suspect. Police Identify Viral David Schwimmer Lookalike Theft Suspect ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5435735/police-identify-david-schwimmer-lookalike-ross-friends/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5435735/police-identify-david-schwimmer-lookalike-ross-friends/"},"headline":"Police Identify David Schwimmer Lookalike Who Went Viral for Theft","datePublished":"2018-10-26T11:50:10.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:55:40.906Z","description":"Police in the U.K. searching for a man resembling David Schwimmer, who played Ross from Friends, said the suspect has been identified.","url":"https://time.com/5435735/police-identify-david-schwimmer-lookalike-ross-friends/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Crime","celebrities","United Kingdom","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd6bc5507b37f50aa/69893d8b7cdbacff89d5e44b/gettyimages-2830837.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Billy Perrigo","jobTitle":"Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/billy-perrigo/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd6bc5507b37f50aa/69893d8b7cdbacff89d5e44b/gettyimages-2830837.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Ross Geller","caption":"Ross Geller","creditText":"David Hume Kennerly—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5435735/police-identify-david-schwimmer-lookalike-ross-friends/","name":"Police Identify David Schwimmer Lookalike Who Went Viral for Theft"}}]}] ```