Police arrest 'Ross from Friends' lookalike over beer theft

A suspected beer thief, who bears a striking resemblance to Ross from the TV show “Friends”, has been arrested after making headlines around the world.

In October, Lancashire Police posted online an image from surveillance video of the alleged thief – but social media users were more interested in the fact he happened to be a dead ringer for actor David Schwimmer.

The surveillance-camera footage which shows a man carrying a carton of cans from a restaurant in Blackpool, northwest England, quickly went viral – much to the delight of Friends lovers.

Thousands of Facebook users shared the vision, with many incorporating some of Ross’s most memorable lines from the hit show which ended in 2004 after 10 memorable seasons.

“Was he on a break?” one user quipped in reference to his infamous reasoning with on screen love interest Rachel.

“That’s not Ross, it’s Russ!!!” another said, joking about a look-a-like character in the show.

The video even drew a cheeky response from Schwimmer himself, who shared a Twitter video that showed him scuttling furtively through a convenience store clutching a carton of beer.

“Officers, I swear it wasn’t me. As you can see, I was in New York,” he wrote.

On Tuesday Lancashire Police confirmed that a 36-year-old man had been arrested in London on suspicion of theft.

The force tweeted: “Thank you for the support, especially @DavidSchwimmer!”