The Mysterious Fedora Man Who Captured the Internet's Imagination
A sharply dressed teenager has unexpectedly become the centre of global attention after appearing in a photograph taken outside the Louvre museum in Paris on the day of a dramatic crown jewels heist. Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux, the 15-year-old now famously known as 'fedora man', found himself at the heart of an internet mystery that captivated millions.
The image, captured by Associated Press photographer Thibault Camus, was originally intended to document the crime scene where thieves had carried out a daylight raid on French crown jewels. In the frame, three police officers lean against a silver car blocking a Louvre entrance, while to the right, a lone figure in a three-piece ensemble strides past - creating what many described as a flash of film noir in a modern-day manhunt.
The Internet Investigation Begins
As the photograph circulated online, theories about the identity of the dapper stranger multiplied rapidly. Internet users cast him as everything from an old-school detective to an inside man, with some even convinced he was an AI-generated figure. The teenager's distinctive 1940s-inspired attire against the backdrop of a contemporary crime scene created a striking contrast that fuelled speculation.
Remarkably, when Pedro first learned that the photograph had drawn millions of views, his instinct was to preserve the mystery rather than immediately reveal himself. "I didn't want to say immediately it was me," he explained. "With this photo there is a mystery, so you have to make it last."
The 15-year-old, who lives with his parents and grandfather in Rambouillet approximately 30km from Paris, is a self-professed fan of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot. He decided to remain silent and watch as theories about his identity continued to swirl online.
The Reality Behind the Viral Moment
The truth behind the viral moment was considerably more ordinary than the internet's elaborate theories. Pedro had simply been visiting the Louvre with his mother and grandfather, completely unaware that a major heist had taken place. "We wanted to go to the Louvre but it was closed," he recalled. "We didn't know there was a heist."
After asking officers why the gates were shut, Pedro was captured mid-stride by the AP photographer documenting the security cordon. "When the picture was taken, I didn't know," he said. "I was just passing through."
Four days later, the teenager's quiet existence was interrupted when an acquaintance messaged him asking if he was the person in the viral photograph. "She told me there were 5 million views," he remembered. "I was a bit surprised."
The surprises continued as his mother called to inform him he had appeared in the New York Times, followed by messages from cousins in Colombia, friends in Austria, and countless classmates sharing screenshots and making calls.
A Personal Style That Stands Out
Pedro's distinctive appearance that captivated millions is not merely a costume for special occasions. The teenager has been dressing in vintage-inspired attire for less than a year, drawing inspiration from 20th-century history and black-and-white images of suited statesmen and fictional detectives.
"I like to be chic," he stated matter-of-factly. "I go to school like this." However, the fedora hat that became his signature in the viral photograph is reserved specifically for weekends, holidays, and museum visits as part of his personal style ritual.
Pedro understands why people projected an entire detective character onto his image, noting that "when something unusual happens, you don't imagine a normal detective. You imagine someone different." His appreciation for Poirot's elegance and the concept that unusual crimes require unusual investigators made him sympathetic to the internet's creative interpretations.
The teenager's artistic sensibilities are deeply rooted in his family background. His mother, Félicité Garzon Delvaux, grew up in an 18th-century museum-palace as the daughter of a curator and an artist, regularly exposing her son to exhibitions and instilling in him the belief that "art and museums are living spaces."
After allowing the mystery to breathe for several days, Pedro eventually switched his Instagram account from private to public and began engaging with journalists who were "extremely surprised" to discover his age. Now embracing his unexpected fame, the teenager remains relaxed about what might come next, even joking that "I'm waiting for people to contact me for films. That would be very funny."
