David Schwimmer provided a tongue-in-cheek alibi yesterday (October 24) after police in the U.K. released a photo of his doppelganger stealing from a restaurant.

Determined to catch the crook responsible, police in Blackpool, England, asked their Facebook followers if they recognized a man captured on CCTV. The good news is many of them did, because he just so happened to be the spitting image of Ross Geller (Schwimmer’s character) from Friends.

Fans of the 1990s sitcom bombarded the post with jokes inspired by the show. “Lay off him,” said one. “He grew up with Monica. IF YOU DIDNT EAT FAST YOU DIDNT EAT” (sic).

“Could he BE any more like Ross from Friends?” said another.

Even the BBC got in on the joke:

Looks like it hasn't been this guy's day, his week, his month or even his year. https://t.co/yk7vcgNnS2

— BBC One (@BBCOne) October 24, 2018

In fact, so many people commented on Mr. Geller’s criminal lookalike, it got back to Ross himself — or David Schwimmer as he’s known to his, er, friends.

David was quick to clear his name, tweeting, “Officers, I swear it wasn’t me.” He then explained he’d been in New York at the time, before posting a video of himself sneaking a crate of beer from a grocery store there.

Officers, I swear it wasn't me.
As you can see, I was in New York.
To the hardworking Blackpool Police, good luck with the investigation.#itwasntme pic.twitter.com/EDFF9dZoYR

— schwim (@DavidSchwimmer) October 24, 2018

Needless to say, British Twitter erupted.

The whole of the UK right now after David Schwimmer tweeted about the Blackpool beer thief: pic.twitter.com/90sa9vN420

— Courtney Pochin (@courtneypochin) October 24, 2018

The One Where Ross Brings The Beers @BlackpoolPolice @FriendsTV @DavidSchwimmer #friends #davidschwimmer pic.twitter.com/w7ec7mwzfH

— Andy Cowell (@TheAndyCowell) October 24, 2018

Fortunately it all ended well, and David is no longer considered a fugitive from British justice.

Blackpool police have confirmed that David was not in the U.K. at the time of the offense: “Thank you to everyone for your speedy responses,” they wrote yesterday (October 24) in an update on their original post. “We have investigated this matter thoroughly and have confirmed that David Schwimmer was in America on this date.”

They didn’t fail to see the funny side, however, despite the seriousness of their job. “We’re so sorry it has to be this way,” they added, referring to the show’s theme song.

Are you tickled by the resemblance?