The one where police confirm beer thief is not Ross from 'Friends'

Blackpool Police are searching for a man that looks a lot like David Schwimmer. Photo / Blackpool Police

Blackpool Police has confirmed the beer thief in a viral Facebook post is not, in fact, David Schwimmer, the actor who famously played Ross Geller in the sitcom Friends.

The Blackpool Police posted a photo of the man with the caption: "Do you recognise this man? We want to speak to him in relation to a theft at a Blackpool restaurant on the 20th September."

Within 12 hours, the post had received more than 75,000 comments with the majority of them making jokes about the thief's likeness to the Friends star.

"I know who he is," wrote Facebook user Jayne Freeman. "He has a son named Ben, loves the taste of wedding cake and he hangs around with some people in a coffee shop. He has a dinosaur fetish. Hope that helps with your inquiries."

"I have just seen him at Blackpool zoo with a monkey on his shoulder," Karen Long wrote in reference to Ross's pet monkey on the hit sitcom, Marcel.

Danny Harrod joked on Facebook that people should give the thief a break.

"Calm down everyone. This bloke could have fallen on hard times. Maybe it hadn't been his week, his month or even his year," he wrote.

One of the best comments came from James Peden who wrote: "If he's jumped in Blackpool sea you'll never catch him. I've heard he's a really good Schwimmer."

Referencing another Friends star, Sam Marshall said: "When questioned he couldn't remember a thing, he drew a LeBlanc."

Blackpool Police had a bit of fun with the comments too.

"Thank you to everyone for your speedy responses. We have investigated this matter thoroughly and have confirmed that David Schwimmer was in America on this date. We're so sorry it has to be this way," the police wrote.

The thief is still at large, however, police have responded to the hilarious controversy over his doppelganger.

- With News.com.au