British police are hunting a shoplifter who bears a striking resemblance to Ross Geller, the character played by David Schwimmer on the TV show “Friends.”
Facebook users noticed the similarity when police posted surveillance-camera footage of a man carrying a carton of cans from a restaurant in Blackpool, northwest England.
The actor responded with a Twitter video that showed him scuttling furtively through a convenience store clutching a carton of beer.
Schwimmer wrote: “Officers, I swear it wasn’t me. As you can see, I was in New York.” He wished police well with the investigation.
Lancashire Police later confirmed that “David Schwimmer was in America on this date.”
Britain’s Daily Star newspaper ran a story about Schwimmer’s lookalike under the headline “I’ll Beer There for You,” a play on lyrics from the “Friends” theme.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.