A 15-year-old French teenager who became an international internet sensation after being photographed at the Louvre during a high-profile jewelry heist has finally revealed his identity. Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux, who lives with his parents and grandfather in Rambouillet, about 30 kilometers from Paris, was captured in an Associated Press photograph that went viral, earning him the nickname "Fedora Man" from millions of online viewers.
When Garzon Delvaux discovered that a news photograph of him at the Louvre on the day of the crown jewels heist had drawn millions of views, his first instinct was not to rush online and reveal himself. Instead, the teenager, who is a fan of detective fiction including Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot, decided to play along with the world's curiosity and let the mystery build. "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 image that made him famous was originally intended to document a crime scene. The photograph shows three police officers leaning against a silver car that was blocking a Louvre entrance, hours after thieves had carried out a daylight raid on French crown jewels. To the right of the frame, a lone figure in a three-piece suit strides past, creating what appeared to be a flash of film noir in a modern-day manhunt scenario.
The internet quickly embraced the mysterious figure, with users dubbing him "Fedora Man" and spinning elaborate theories about his identity. Many speculated he was an old-school detective, an inside man connected to the heist, a potential Netflix character, or even questioned whether he was human at all. Numerous people were convinced the figure was AI-generated due to his anachronistic appearance.
Garzon Delvaux understood why people doubted his authenticity. "In the photo, I'm dressed more in the 1940s, and we are in 2025," he said. "There is a contrast." Even some of his relatives and friends hesitated to believe it was really him until they spotted his mother in the background of the photograph. Only then were they certain that the internet's favorite fake detective was actually a real teenager.
The real story behind the viral moment was remarkably simple. Garzon Delvaux had come to visit the Louvre with his mother and grandfather on what was supposed to be a routine museum trip. "We wanted to go to the Louvre, but it was closed," he recalled. "We didn't know there was a heist." When they asked police officers why the gates were shut, photographer Thibault Camus, who was documenting the security cordon, captured Garzon Delvaux mid-stride. "When the picture was taken, I didn't know," the teenager said. "I was just passing through."
Four days after the photograph was taken, an acquaintance messaged Garzon Delvaux asking if the viral figure was him. "She told me there were five million views," he said. "I was a bit surprised." Shortly afterward, his mother called to inform him that he had been featured in The New York Times. "It's not every day," he remarked about the unexpected attention.
The news of his internet fame quickly spread through his social circles. Cousins in Colombia, friends in Austria, family friends, and classmates began reaching out with screenshots and phone calls. "People said, 'You've become a star,'" he recounted. "I was astonished that just with one photo you can become viral in a few days."
For his only in-person interview since the photograph turned him into an international curiosity, Garzon Delvaux appeared at his home dressed much as he was that Sunday at the Louvre. He wore a fedora hat, an Yves Saint Laurent waistcoat borrowed from his father, a jacket chosen by his mother, a neat tie, Tommy Hilfiger trousers, and a restored, war-battered Russian watch. The fedora, positioned at just the right angle, serves as his personal homage to French Resistance hero Jean Moulin.
The distinctive look that startled tens of millions of viewers is not a costume created specifically for museum visits. Garzon Delvaux began dressing in this vintage style less than a year ago, inspired by 20th-century history and black-and-white images of suited statesmen and fictional detectives. "I like to be chic," he explained. "I go to school like this." In a sea of hoodies and sneakers typical of his generation, he regularly shows up to classes in a three-piece suit.
The fedora hat, however, follows its own special protocol. Rather than wearing it daily, the hat is reserved for weekends, holidays, and museum visits. At his school, which doesn't require uniforms, his distinctive style has already begun to influence others. "One of my friends came this week with a tie," he noted with satisfaction.
Garzon Delvaux understands exactly why people projected an entire detective character onto him based on a single photograph. The combination of an improbable heist and an equally improbable-looking figure created the perfect storm for internet speculation. He loves the character of Hercule Poirot, whom he describes as "very elegant," and appreciates the idea that an unusual crime calls for someone who looks unusual. "When something unusual happens, you don't imagine a normal detective," he reasoned. "You imagine someone different."
This instinct for understanding imagery and storytelling fits naturally with the world he comes from. His mother, Felicite Garzon Delvaux, grew up in an 18th-century museum-palace as the daughter of a curator and an artist. She regularly takes her son to art exhibitions and cultural events. "Art and museums are living spaces," she explained. "Life without art is not life."
For Garzon Delvaux, art and visual imagery have always been integral parts of everyday life. So when millions of people began projecting elaborate stories onto a single frame of him wearing a fedora beside armed police at the Louvre, he immediately recognized the power of the image and chose to let the myth breathe and develop before stepping forward to reveal his identity.
He maintained his silence for several days after discovering his viral fame, then strategically switched his Instagram account from private to public. "People had to try to find who I am," he explained. "Then journalists came, and I told them my age. They were extremely surprised." The revelation that the mysterious figure was actually a 15-year-old high school student added another layer to the story that had already captivated millions.
Garzon Delvaux remains remarkably relaxed about whatever developments may come from his unexpected fame. "I'm waiting for people to contact me for films," he said with a grin. "That would be very funny." His attitude suggests he's genuinely enjoying the attention while maintaining a healthy perspective on its temporary nature.
In a story primarily focused on theft, security failures, and criminal investigation, "Fedora Man" has emerged as a surprisingly gentle and positive counterpoint. He represents a teenager who genuinely believes that art, personal style, and a good mystery all belong as natural parts of ordinary life. One spontaneous photograph transformed him into an international symbol, but meeting him in person confirms that he is reassuringly real and remarkably grounded.
"I'm a star," he says, the words sounding less like a boast than an experiment, as if he's trying on this new identity the same way he might try on a vintage hat. "I'll keep dressing like this. It's my style." His commitment to maintaining his distinctive appearance suggests that regardless of how long his internet fame lasts, Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux has found something authentic in his vintage-inspired persona that extends far beyond a single viral moment.
