The Louvre Heist's Unlikely Mystery Man
A photograph capturing three police officers leaning against a silver car blocking a Louvre entrance during what was dubbed the 'heist of the century' contained an unexpected figure. Standing to the side was a flash of film noir—a sharply dressed individual in a fedora, a cream and black three-piece outfit, and a war-battered Russian watch. This image, meant to document a crime scene, instead launched a thousand theories about the identity of this mysterious man.
Speculation ran wild. Was he a French detective assigned to solve the nation's 'most humiliating heist'? An AI-generated fake? A turncoat gangster hiding in plain sight? The truth, revealed in his only in-person interview since the photo went viral, is far simpler and more charming.
Meet Pedro: The Teen Behind the Fedora
The man at the centre of the international enigma is Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux, a 15-year-old boy who lives with his parents and grandfather in Rambouillet. He is a devoted enthusiast of fictional detectives like Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot. For the interview, held after the photo was published on November 9, 2025, he arrived dressed exactly as he had on the day of the heist, embracing the character that had captivated the world.
His outfit was a carefully curated homage to a bygone era: a fedora hat, a Yves Saint Laurent waistcoat borrowed from his father, a jacket chosen by his mother, a neat tie, Tommy Hilfiger trousers, and that distinctive restored Russian watch. "I like to be chic," Pedro said, confirming that this is his standard attire, even for school, though the fedora is reserved for weekends, holidays, and museum visits.
Solving the Mystery of the Viral Photo
So, what was he really doing at the Louvre during the major art robbery? The explanation is surprisingly mundane. Pedro had simply wanted to visit the museum with his mother and grandfather. Unaware that a brazen robbery had just taken place in broad daylight, they approached the officers to ask why the gates were closed. It was at that precise moment that an Associated Press photographer snapped the picture that would make Pedro an internet sensation.
Pedro was completely oblivious to his newfound fame until, four days later, a friend asked if he was the person in the viral picture. "She told me there were five million views and I was a bit surprised," he recalled. The surprises kept coming. Soon after, his mother called to tell him he had appeared in The New York Times, and his phone began flooding with screenshots from cousins, family friends, and classmates.
"People said 'You've become a star'," Pedro shared. "I was astonished that with just one photo you can become viral in a few days." He admitted that he was in no rush to unmask himself, enjoying the mystery he had inadvertently created. "I didn't want to say immediately it was me. With this photo, there is a mystery, so you have to make it last," he explained, showing a wisdom beyond his years. He perfectly understood the public's fascination, noting the stark "contrast" between his 1940s-inspired style and the modern-day setting of 2025.
In the end, the Louvre heist provided the backdrop, but the real story was about a young man's passion for style and classic detective fiction, proving that sometimes the greatest mysteries have the simplest solutions.
