David Schwimmer has said police were “a little disappointed” when they ruled him out as a suspect in a theft in Blackpool.
The Friends star hit the headlines when fans noticed a suspect captured on CCTV leaving a restaurant carrying what appeared to be a carton of cans bore a striking resemblance to the actor.
Schwimmer responded by posting a video to his Twitter account that showed him scurrying through a convenience store carrying a carton of beer before looking up furtively at a CCTV camera.
Thanks for being there for us @DavidSchwimmer 😄👍#appreciatethesupport@BlackpoolPolice https://t.co/RsMhsbN0JE
— LancsPolice (@LancsPolice) October 24, 2018
He captioned the video: “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.”
He added the hashtag #itwasntme to the post.
Appearing on Channel 4’s The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan, he said: “I got a message from a buddy of mine saying ‘Have you seen this from Blackpool Police?
“The police had posted something that was really funny. They were a little disappointed that they had ruled me out as a suspect; it wasn’t me.
“They said something kind of cheeky and I thought ‘Good on them for having a sense of humour’, but I couldn’t resist responding.
“So I went that day when I found out with a buddy of mine and we went to my local shop, this little market around the corner from where I live in the East Village.
“I know the manager there so I showed him what was going on and said ‘Hey, can I just shoot something?’. Just to let them know I was definitely involved.”
Schwimmer admitted he had his own history with petty crime when he stole a chocolate bar when he was a child.
He said: “When I was a kid, the harshest lessen I learned was when I stole a Snickers bar and I think I was like nine.
“It was a store where they knew everyone, it was that kind of neighbourhood, and they knew my parents and knew my sister, but I just really wanted this Snickers bar.
“And it was after baseball practice and I didn’t have any allowance or anything on me so I just snuck it.
“I got out the door and the owner of the store was like, ‘David?’ Of course he knows me! ‘Come here’.
“And I almost just lost it, cause I knew. You know when you’re busted. He said ‘Do you want me to tell your parents?’ and that was the worst!
“It was bad. I was mortified… but it didn’t stop me from stealing.”
Schwimmer’s “lookalike” has since appeared in court charged with a string of fraud and theft offences.
In February, Abdulah Husseini made a brief appearance via a video link from HMP Wormwood Scrubs to deny the charges.