Metropolitan Police join hunt for David Schwimmer lookalike wanted over Blackpool theft

David Schwimmer created his own tongue-in-cheek video after the initial appeal went viral
PA
Tom Powell2 November 2018
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

The Met Police has joined the hunt for a “Ross from friends” lookalike wanted over a theft in Blackpool.

Lancashire Police believes the man, whose CCTV image sparked a worldwide social media frenzy , is currently in London.

"We are working with colleagues in the Metropolitan Police to trace and arrest him," said a police spokeswoman.

After the initial police appeal went viral, Friends star David Schwimmer created his own video re-enacting the CCTV picture.

But he proclaimed his innocence, insisting he had been in New York at the time of the theft.

Police officers have identified the real person pictured in the CCTV appeal after being “inundated” with responses.

He is suspected of stealing a jacket, mobile phone and wallet from Mr Basrai’s restaurant in the seaside town on September 20. He was later caught on CCTV carrying a case of beer out of a shop.

The original post has received more than 130,000 comments from people discussing his likeness to Schwimmer’s character in the much-loved US Sitcom.

One person, referencing the Friends theme song, replied: "I don't think it's been this guy's day, his week, his month or even his year..."

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."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in