Featured Image Credit: Daytona Beach Police Department / Associated Press / Alamy
Topics: Film and TV, US News, Celebrity, Twitter
Emily Brown
Topics: Film and TV, US News, Celebrity, Twitter
Former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell has broken his silence after police in Florida reported him missing and endangered.
The Daytona Beach Police Department shared the news of the Drake and Josh actor's disappearance with a post on Facebook yesterday (13 April), announcing that officers were searching for Bell.
The 36-year-old, whose full name is Jared Drake Bell, was said to be traveling in a 2022 grey BMW and was last thought to have been located in the area of Mainland High School on Wednesday (12 April).
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"He is considered missing and endangered," the police wrote. "If you know where he is or have any information, please contact Detective Jayson Wallace at 386-671-5207 or [email protected]."
The news stunned internet users who struggled to believe whether the department's post was serious, so much so that it was forced to follow up with a comment which read: "For those asking, this is a legitimate post from the Daytona Beach Police Department."
In the wake of the news, a source claimed the hunt for Bell began after his family members became concerned about his whereabouts.
Speaking to Us Weekly, the insider said: "There was some communication with family members that caused concern so they are worried about him and looking for him."
They went on to claim that some of Bell's family members had no idea he was in Florida, where his estranged wife, Janet Von Schemling, had moved with their young son.
Just a few hours after the initial post from police, the Daytona Beach Police Department added an update to say Bell had been found.
"At this time, we can confirm law enforcement officials are in contact and Mr. Bell is safe," they wrote.
The police didn't share information about where Bell had been located, but the actor later shared a post of his own to imply his apparent disappearance was actually no big deal.
In a tweet posted on Twitter late last night, he wrote: "You leave your phone in the car and don’t answer for the night and this?"
The actor hasn't revealed any other details about what he'd been up to while the police launched their search, but his fans and followers quickly responded to his post to express their relief that he was safe.
Bell welcomed his son, Jeremy Drake Bell, in 2021 after marrying Schemling in 2018. The pair reportedly decided to go their separate ways in late 2022.