In the three weeks following the high-profile Louvre museum heist, while investigators worked to uncover the perpetrators and understand the ease with which the French crown jewels were stolen, one particular mystery captured the public’s imagination: the identity of the “fedora man.”
The sharply dressed young man, distinguished by his fedora, was photographed outside the museum on the day of the incident. The image quickly went viral on social media, sparking numerous theories regarding his potential involvement.
Law enforcement acted swiftly, arresting and charging four individuals in connection with the crime. Simultaneously, the Louvre director conceded that the museum’s CCTV security measures were inadequate.
Despite these developments, the identity of the “fedora man” remained an enigma – until now.
It has been revealed that the dapper individual is a local teenager with a passion for Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot, who happened to be present at the scene of an actual crime.
Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux, a 15-year-old resident of Rambouillet, located southwest of Paris, explained to the Associated Press (AP) that he had planned a family visit to the Louvre, only to find it closed due to the ongoing investigation.
“We were unaware of the heist,” he stated.
While inquiring about the closure with police officers, an AP photographer, documenting the security perimeter, captured Pedro in the frame.
Pedro only discovered the photo’s widespread circulation four days later, when a friend sent him a screenshot with the question: “Is this you?”
Upon confirming his identity, his friend informed him that the image had amassed five million views on TikTok. “I was quite surprised,” Pedro admitted to the AP.
His surprise deepened when his mother informed him that the photo had been featured in The New York Times. He described the impact as significant, given his readership of the newspaper, noting that “it’s not every day you’re in the New York Times.”
“People were saying, ‘You’ve become a star’. I was astonished that just one photo could go viral in a matter of days.”
When questioned about his choice of attire, including the old-fashioned waistcoat and fedora, Pedro explained that he had recently adopted this style, drawing inspiration from 20th-century statesmen and fictional detectives.
“I enjoy being chic,” he told the AP. “I dress like this for school.”
Amidst the proliferation of online speculation surrounding his photo – with some questioning whether he was a real detective or an AI fabrication – Pedro remained silent for several weeks.
“I didn’t want to immediately reveal it was me,” he explained. “The photo had an inherent mystery, and I wanted to let it linger.”
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