Remember the thief who looked a lot like Ross from Friends? Turns out he hardly looks like David Schwimmer at all.
Could we BE anymore disappointed?
Between the Mississippilessly fake tan fiasco, the teeth-whitening, and the foray into leather pants, everyone’s favourite academically gifted Friend, Ross Geller, has undergone some transformations in his time.
Last year however, crime spotters were adamant his greatest transformation had come ten years after the final curtain call on Friends, in a Blackpool shop.
Police footage of a theft went viral when people noted the alleged thief looked rather a lot like the 52-year-old American actor.
In a later update, Blackpool Police also joined in on the joke, commenting:
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.
Abdulah Husseini, 36, of Spencer Road, Slough, allegedly stole a coat, a phone and a wallet from Mr Basrai’s on Talbot Road in the Lancashire seaside resort on September 20.
The first man hunt even prompted a response from Schwimmer himself:
Schwimmer took to Twitter to send a message to the hard-working UK local authorities, saying:
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
Oh, how we all laughed… And then pretty much forgot about the viral CCTV footage.
Until now.
Lancashire Police actually had a second warrant out for his arrest, issued by the magistrate, when Husseini failed to appear at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court on December 18, to face accusations of theft and four charges of fraud.
In a bid to find Husseini, police released his mugshot… And it turns out he looks nothing like Geller:
Mr Husseini was also being sought by the Metropolitan Police after failing to appear at court on a charge of handling stolen goods.
Lancashire Police have said:
Police are trying to trace Abdulah Husseini, 36, after he failed to appear at court. Husseini was due to appear at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court on December 18 accused of theft and four counts of fraud.
This relates to a coat, mobile phone and wallet being stolen from Mr Basrai’s restaurant on Talbot Road, Blackpool on Thursday, September 20.
Despite not having the same lookalike quality of his CCTV footage appearance, releasing the mugshot seemed to help the police in their manhunt, and Husseini was soon picked up and arrested, reports the BBC.
Mr Husseini was arrested in Wimbledon, south-west London, and was remanded in custody. He’ll appear at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court Wednesday (January 23). Let’s hope he doesn’t come over all Red Ross during the hearing.
Meanwhile, somewhere in a fictional realm of suburban New York, six friends are gathered around a rent controlled home, giggling about the misfortune of their in-house doctor, who’s adamant he’s FINE…
Just as long as the alleged thief didn’t steal his sandwich, of course.
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A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.