Police: Actor Drake Bell, who was 'missing and endangered,' found 'safe'

WASHINGTON (TND) — Authorities in Florida said they found actor and musician Jared "Drake" Bell, who they previously said was "missing and endangered."

The Daytona Beach Police Department shared a photo of Bell on social media Thursday morning. Several hours later, they noted he was located.

At this time, we can confirm law enforcement officials are in contact and Mr. Bell is safe," police said in an updated post on Facebook.

Police did not say where he was found or why they were concerned for his safety.

Police previously asked the public to be on the lookout for him. They said he was traveling in a 2022 grey BMW and was last seen near Mainland High School on Wednesday just before 9:30 p.m.

Some social media users initially commented on the post and questioned if it was a hoax.

But police said it is "a legitimate post from the Daytona Beach Police Department."

Bell, 36, who starred on Nickelodeon's "Drake & Josh" and "The Amanda Show" and later embarked on a music career, recently finished a two-year probation stint in connection to an attempted child endangerment case after meeting a teenager online. He pled guilty to a felony county of attempted child endangerment and a misdemeanor count of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles in 2021.