The one where the thief looks like Ross
WHEN police in Blackpool asked whether anyone recognised this suspected thief, they probably didn’t expect quite such an enthusiastic response.
First, social media users were quick to point out the suspect’s similarity to Ross Geller from Friends, bombarding officers with jokes and one-liners from the show.
But then came the most entertaining reply of all – from David Schwimmer, who played the character on the hit TV sitcom.
The US actor posted a video which showed him recreating the CCTV scene, carrying a crate of beer and looking furtively at the camera – before denying any involvement.
Schwimmer, 51, wrote on Twitter: ‘Officers, I swear it wasn’t me. As you can see, I was in New York. To the hardworking Black- pool Police, good luck with the investigation. #itwasntme.’
The original CCTV image that inspired his parody was posted online yesterday by Lancashire Police. It showed a man buying a crate of beer from a shop after allegedly stealing a mobile phone, jacket and wallet from Mr Basrai’s, a restaurant in the seaside town, on September 20.
Within minutes, social media users had spotted the man’s remarkable resemblance to Schwimmer and began posting jokes and one-liners from the 1990s series, with the appeal soon racking up 140,000 comments.
Fans chipped in with some of Ross’s most famous quotes, including ‘We were on a break’, repeatedly used after he split from Jennifer Aniston’s character Rachel Green. Joe Richardson wrote: ‘Shouldn’t he be at work … or is he on a break?’ Others made reference to the show’s chart-topping theme song. ‘I don’t think it’s been this guy’s day, his week, his month or even his year,’ wrote Nick Croston. Olly Byrne quipped: ‘I’m surprised you’ve not found him … it’s like you’re always stuck in second gear.’ Even other forces got involved, with officers in Dumfries and Galloway warning members of the public to ‘keep away’ from the suspect. ‘He is known to have studied karate and we believe he has mastered the art of Unagi, the state of total awareness,’ they said, in reference to an episode where the character claims to be an expert in selfdefence. Lancashire Police responded to Schwimmer’s video, writing: ‘Thanks for being there for us.’
Officers last night confirmed they were still hunting for the suspect – and that they had ruled Schwimmer out of their enquiries.