When Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux, a 15-year-old from Rambouillet, realized a photo of him taken at the Louvre had gone viral, he didn’t rush to reveal his identity. The image, snapped by the Associated Press on the day of a spectacular crown jewels heist, captured the attention of millions worldwide.

Rather than stepping into the spotlight, Pedro, who enjoys the mysteries of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot, decided to embrace the intrigue. Living with his family in a town 30 kilometers from Paris, he opted to let the suspense build around the enigmatic “Fedora Man” seen in the photo.

As speculation mounted over the identity of the sharply dressed individual—ranging from detective to insider, or even a digital creation—Pedro chose to maintain the mystery and observe the buzz from afar.

“I didn’t want to immediately say it was me,” Pedro explained. “There’s a mystery with this photo, and it’s more exciting to let it linger.”

For his exclusive in-person interview with the Associated Press, Pedro appeared at his home dressed similarly to the way he was on that fateful Sunday. Donning a fedora, a waistcoat from Yves Saint Laurent borrowed from his father, a jacket selected by his mother, a tidy tie, Tommy Hilfiger pants, and a refurbished, battle-worn Russian watch, he mirrored the intriguing persona that captivated the world.

The fedora, angled just so, is his homage to French Resistance hero Jean Moulin.

In person, he is a bright, amused teenager who wandered, by accident, into a global story.

The image that made him famous was meant to document a crime scene. Three police officers lean on a silver car blocking a Louvre entrance, hours after thieves carried out a daylight raid on French crown jewels.

To the right, a lone figure in a three-piece ensemble strides past – a flash of film noir in a modern-day manhunt.

The internet did the rest. “Fedora Man,” as users dubbed him, was cast as an old-school detective, an inside man, a Netflix pitch – or not human at all. Many were convinced he was AI generated.

Pedro understood why. “In the photo, I’m dressed more in the 1940s, and we are in 2025,” he said. “There is a contrast.”

Even some relatives and friends hesitated until they spotted his mother in the background. Only then were they sure: The internet’s favourite fake detective was a real boy.

The real story was simple. Pedro, his mother and grandfather had come 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.”

They asked officers why the gates were shut. Seconds later, AP photographer Thibault Camus, documenting the security cordon, caught Pedro midstride.

“When the picture was taken, I didn’t know,” Pedro said. “I was just passing through.”

Four days later, an acquaintance messaged: Is that you?

“She told me there were 5 million views,” he said. “I was a bit surprised.” Then his mother called to say he was in The New York Times. “It’s not every day,” he said. Cousins in Colombia, friends in Austria, family friends and classmates followed with screenshots and 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.”

The look that jolted tens of millions is not a costume whipped up for a museum trip. Pedro began dressing this way 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 said. “I go to school like this.”

In a sea of hoodies and sneakers, he shows up in a riff on a three-piece suit. And the hat? No, that’s its own ritual. The fedora is reserved for weekends, holidays and museum visits.

He stayed silent for several days, then switched his Instagram from private to 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.”

He is relaxed about whatever comes next. “I’m waiting for people to contact me for films,” he said, grinning. “That would be very funny.”

In a story of theft and security lapses, “Fedora Man” is a gentler counterpoint – a teenager who believes art, style and a good mystery belong to ordinary life. One photo turned him into a symbol. Meeting him confirms he is, reassuringly, real.

“I’m a star,” he says — less brag than experiment, as if he’s trying on the words the way he tries on a hat. “I’ll keep dressing like this. It’s my style.”