Amsterdam police say since they put out a public appeal for help identifying a mystery man with possible links to Canada, they have received more than 500 tips. The man, nicknamed “Lucky,” collapsed on an Amsterdam street on May 10, 2023. He was taken to hospital where medical professionals concluded that he had suffered a brain hemorrhage or stroke. After receiving medical care it was determined that he had aphasia, which affects the way people speak, read, write, and understand what other people say. “We don’t really know how much he understands and we’ve tried various ways, but it’s not really possible to communicate with him. Find out who he really is,” said Amsterdam police spokesperson Marijke Stor. Lucky had no personal identification when he collapsed, making it more difficult to identify him. The case is not a criminal but a “social investigation,” and Stor said police are trying to determine his identity for multiple reasons, including connecting him to someone he knows. “We want to not only know who he is, but also if there are, for example, relatives who still love him and who he could contact, because right now he is in a nursing facility where, of course, they are taking good care of him,” she said. “But he spends a lot of time alone and we think it would be really good for him if… he could talk to someone he knows.” Get daily national news Get daily Canadian news delivered to your inbox so you never miss the day’s top stories. The Amsterdam-West detective unit initially began the investigation and worked to pursue all possible avenues, including speaking to people he may have met in the city. Eventually, police said their cold case team took over as the detective unit needed to focus on criminal cases. Two former officers were assigned to the case and began the social investigation. The couple, according to a police news release, attempted to determine who Lucky was in contact with and his social circles. They determined that he was a member of a Buddhist community based on Middenweg in Amsterdam, where some identified him by the nickname “Lucky.” Other sources also took them to Soep en Zo, a restaurant where he occasionally had a drink, on Waterlooplein or Waterloo Square. It was there that they discovered some were calling him “Chris the Canadian,” prompting police to make a public plea to people across the Atlantic Ocean in a video released Monday. More about Canada More videos “People told us he always spoke with what they called an American or Canadian accent,” Stor said. “So the theory that it could be from the United States or Canada is a theory that we think could actually be possible.” He cautioned that it doesn’t mean “Lucky” is definitely Canadian or American, but it could still be a “real possibility.” map, they’re not sure how much he really understands. Since making their request Monday, Stor said they have received more than 500 tips from the public, a number she said they are not accustomed to. “What we really want is for as many people as possible to see Lucky’s images, so that the chances of someone who knows him seeing (the images) are as great as possible,” Stor said. “We think the chances of someone in Canada knowing who he is are there.” The RCMP said in a statement it is aware of reports of efforts by authorities in the Netherlands to identify an individual with possible Canadian connections. He said that through INTERPOL’s NCB in Ottawa and the RCMP’s liaison officer program, it works with law enforcement agencies to facilitate the international aspects of the investigation. He said he cannot provide further comment for privacy reasons. People can contact Amsterdam police if they have any tips to share. © 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.