Police in Blackpool have unexpectedly received a huge response to a Facebook post requesting information about a suspect of a robbery taking place in a local restaurant in September. But the response has not been quite what they were looking for.

After posting this CCTV screenshot of the suspect to Facebook, thousands of people took to the comments to point out instead the subject's uncanny resemblance to a major Hollywood star.

Do you recognise this man? We want to speak to him in relation to a theft at a Blackpool restaurant on the 20th... Publiée par Blackpool Police sur Mardi 23 octobre 2018

The commenters have compared the suspect to Hollywood star David Schwimmer, with many making puns relating to the actor's most famous role of fictional character Ross Geller in the long-running television sitcom Friends.

At the time of writing, the post has been shared more than 50,000 times and has received almost 100,000 comments.

Joyeux anniversaire à David Schwimmer qui fête aujourd'hui ses 51 ans ! Publiée par FRIENDS (TV Show) sur Jeudi 2 novembre 2017

Blackpool Police received _so_ many responses, in fact, that they were forced to follow the post up with a note to confirm that Schwimmer is not the man they were looking for.

"We have investigated this matter thoroughly and have confirmed that David Schwimmer was in America on this date," they said.

Despite reassurance from police that Schwimmer had not gone rogue, it did not halt commenters from sharing their puns.

Schwimmer has shared a video on his official Twitter account saying it isn't him on the photo Blackpool police shared because he was in New York at the time.

Reaction

Some users, including Nick Croston, referenced lyrics to the Friends theme tune by The Rembrandts.

Others referenced classic Friends episodes, and some of Ross Geller's best moments.

But some also pointed out that this is still a serious incident. Deborah D Jay Dandy said her son was involved in the robbery incident that Blackpool Police had referred to, and said she didn't find the jokes particularly amusing.

"Instead of making a joke of this, please help... someone must know this man, he must live on someone's street, go in someone's shop or something," she pleaded.

In response, Siobhan Abbey said the jokes and puns may have worked in the investigation's favour, resulting in the post been circulated online more than usual.

"It's creating a lot of interest and will mean he is more likely to get caught," she wrote.

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