Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux, a 15-year-old student from Rambouillet, has confirmed he is the person in a photograph that drew millions of views following a heist at the Louvre.
The teenager was captured in an Associated Press photograph taken by Thibault Camus on the day thieves carried out a raid on French crown jewels at the museum. The image shows three police officers leaning on a car blocking a Louvre entrance, with a figure in a three-piece suit and fedora walking past.
Internet users dubbed the person “fedora man” and speculated the figure was a detective, an insider, or generated by AI. Pedro, who lives with his parents and grandfather 30km from Paris, chose not to immediately reveal his identity.
Louvre Heist Fedora Man revealed as 15-year-old French student Pedro Garzon Delvaux
“I didn’t want to say immediately it was me,” he said, according to a report by The Guardian. “With this photo there is a mystery, so you have to make it last.”
The photograph was taken when Pedro, his mother and grandfather attempted to visit the Louvre. “We wanted to go to the Louvre but it was closed,” he said. “We didn’t know there was a heist.”
The family asked officers why the gates were shut. Pedro said he was unaware the photograph had been taken. “When the picture was taken, I didn’t know,” he said. “I was just passing through.”
Four days after the photograph was taken, an acquaintance messaged Pedro asking if the image showed him. “She told me there were 5 million views,” he said. “I was a bit surprised.”
According to the report, is mother then called to inform him he appeared in the New York Times. Cousins in Colombia, friends in Austria, and classmates sent screenshots and made calls.
“People said, ‘You’ve become a star,’” he said. “I was astonished that just with one photo you can become viral in a few days.”
Student dresses in 1940s-inspired style
Pedro explained his clothing was not prepared for a museum visit. He began dressing in suits less than a year ago, inspired by 20th century history and photographs of statesmen and detectives from that period.
“I like to be chic,” he said. “I go to school like this.”
The fedora, however, is worn only on weekends, holidays and museum visits.
He said he understood why people speculated about his identity. “In the photo, I’m dressed more in the 1940s, and we are in 2025,” he said. “There is a contrast.”
Pedro is a fan of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot. He said he understood why the photograph prompted theories about a detective. “When something unusual happens, you don’t imagine a normal detective,” he said. “You imagine someone different.”
Mother grew up in museum-palace
Pedro’s mother, Félicité Garzon Delvaux, grew up in an 18th century museum-palace. Her father worked as a curator and her mother as an artist. She takes her son to exhibits on a regular basis.
“Art and museums are living spaces,” she said. “Life without art is not life.”
Pedro said art and imagery had been part of his life since childhood. When millions of people created narratives about the photograph, he recognised the power of the image and chose to remain silent.
Some relatives and friends were not certain the figure was Pedro until they identified his mother in the background of the photograph.
Teenager waited before confirming identity
Pedro stayed silent for several days before making his Instagram account public. “People had to try to find who I am,” he said. “Then journalists came, and I told them my age. They were extremely surprised.”
Many internet users had been convinced the figure in the photograph was generated by AI.
The teenager said he is waiting to see what happens next. “I’m waiting for people to contact me for films,” he said. “That would be very funny.”
