Now, the mystery has been solved. The teenager is 15-year-old Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux, who came to visit the Louvre with his mother and grandfather and was captured by the AP photographer in a now-famous photo, according to The Guardian.
Pedro is an avid fan of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot. He lives with his parents and grandfather in Rambouillet, a town about 30 km (19 miles) from Paris.“We wanted to go to the Louvre, but it was closed. We didn’t know there was a heist,” Pedro said.
Curious about the closed gates, the trio asked police officers why the entrances were shut. At that moment, AP photographer Thibault Camus, who was documenting the scene, snapped a photo of Pedro midstride.
“When the picture was taken, I didn’t know. I was just passing through,” he said.
After the photo went viral, the internet ran wild with theories. People nicknamed him ‘Fedora Man,’ and some thought he looked like a 1940s detective, others said he might be an undercover agent, or even an AI-generated person.
Pedro also said that even some of his own relatives and friends weren’t sure it was really him, until they noticed his mother standing in the background. He said it happened because of his old-fashioned outfit.“In the photo, I’m dressed more like the 1940s, and we are in 2025. There is a contrast,” he said.
Pedro said he first learned about the viral picture when an acquaintance texted him, asking, “Is that you? There are already 5 million views.”
He admitted he was a bit surprised. Shortly after, his mother called to tell him that he had even been mentioned in The New York Times. Pedro said, “It’s not every day.”
Soon, he started getting messages and screenshots from cousins in Colombia, friends in Austria, and other family friends and classmates, all excited about the photo.
People kept telling him, “You’ve become a star.” Pedro said he was amazed that just one picture could make someone famous and go viral in just a few days.
He said he stayed silent for several days, then switched his Instagram to a public account where he wrote, “People had to try to find who I am.”
He revealed that he started dressing this way less than a year ago, inspired by 20th-century history, old photos, and fictional detectives. “I like to be chic,” he said.
He even goes to school dressed like this, though the fedora is reserved for weekends, holidays, and museum visits.
“I’m waiting for people to contact me for films. That would be very funny,” he added.
