Louvre Museum heist: An estimated 100 detectives are investigating the jewelry robbery at the Louvre that unfolded October 19. The world’s most-visited museum, the Louvre in Paris, suffered a dramatic security breach on Sunday, October 19, when thieves made off with historic jewellery valued at €88 million ($102 million) in broad daylight. The audacious heist has been labeled a “terrible failure” by Louvre Director Laurence des Cars, who has reportedly offered her resignation following the incident.
The theft has exposed serious security flaws at the iconic museum and sparked nationwide scrutiny over the government’s ability to protect France’s cultural treasures. Social media quickly reacted, turning the shocking event into a wave of viral memes, highlighting the public’s fascination with the daring crime. Experts warn this heist could lead to a major overhaul of museum security protocols and raise questions about the safety of high-value art collections worldwide.
The week after the heist, the internet collectively decided a photo of a man in Paris near the Louvre was, in fact, one of the investigators. Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau said, in an interview with French radio station RTL, that about 100 investigators are now working to track down the missing crown jewels, which amount to an estimated $108 million.
The jewels' whereabouts, the robbers' intentions and their identities are all still unknown. The photo gained traction in the days after the robbery. In the photo, a man walks past police at the Louvre gate. He's dressed in a striking suit, accessorized with a fedora and an umbrella in hand. He has a pensive look on his face.
Speculation sprung up on platforms like X and Facebook that this man was, in fact, a detective. On Oct. 22, X user @MsMelChen wrote, "Actual shot (not AI!) of a French detective working the case of the French Crown Jewels that were stolen from the Louvre in a brazen daylight robbery."
"This man an ACTUAL FRENCH DETECTIVE investigating the Louvre heist and he looks like he’s just stepped off the Orient Express," another said on X. "This is, by all accounts, genuinely the detective tasked with cracking the Louvre heist. God I love the French," writer David Patrikarakos said, before following it up with another tweet ("turns out it's not.")
YouTuber Jay Anderson wrote on X, "The French Detective on scene for the recent jewellery heist at The Louvre in Paris is the most detective looking detective I have ever detected." One delighted TikToker laughed as she said, "This is apparently the detective investigating the Louvre heist ... someone needs to write about this immediately." Soon, the internet's hopes of a new version of Hercule Poirot were dashed.
The AP caption read: “Police officers block an access to the Louvre museum after a robbery Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, in Paris,” making no mention of any detective.
Speaking with the New York Times, Camus confirmed that the man is an unidentified passerby with no known connection to the robbery. Camus explained he was drawn to the man’s outfit and how it visually resonated with the historic Louvre setting, describing the passerby as “old-fashioned like a museum can be.”
Camus also photographed other people at the scene, including a woman wearing a Yankees hat walking past the police, though none of these images received the same viral attention. The identity of the mysterious Louvre passerby remains unknown, and he has yet to come forward.
Melissa Chen commented on X, “To solve it, we need an unshaven, overweight, washed-out detective who's in the middle of divorce. A functioning alcoholic who the rest of the department hates.
Never gonna crack it with a detective who wears an actual fedora unironically.” Social media user @ChloreaFan, in a post viewed 100,000 times, stated, “They will bring the grizzled vet you speak of onto the case. They will be forced to work together, even though the fancy cop will want to play it by the rules and the grizzled vet wants to bend the rules.
They will both learn a little about themselves in the process.” Contributor alliebunn_, in a TikTok post viewed 5.2 million times, captioned, “Yes I’m romanticizing this, it’s the most exciting news we’ve got in a WHILE!” Another TikTok user, thewafflehome, with a post viewed over 270,000 times, overlaid the text: “A crazy heist that occurred right around Halloween and no one is suspecting Raymond Holt and his detective squad at the 99th precinct in Brooklyn????”
The theft has exposed serious security flaws at the iconic museum and sparked nationwide scrutiny over the government’s ability to protect France’s cultural treasures. Social media quickly reacted, turning the shocking event into a wave of viral memes, highlighting the public’s fascination with the daring crime. Experts warn this heist could lead to a major overhaul of museum security protocols and raise questions about the safety of high-value art collections worldwide.
Is fedora wearing probing Louvre Museum heist?
Is a fedora-wearing French detective really on the case of the Louvre heist? Well social media thinks so. Is one of them a dapper gentleman in a top hat and a tailored suit?The week after the heist, the internet collectively decided a photo of a man in Paris near the Louvre was, in fact, one of the investigators. Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau said, in an interview with French radio station RTL, that about 100 investigators are now working to track down the missing crown jewels, which amount to an estimated $108 million.
The jewels' whereabouts, the robbers' intentions and their identities are all still unknown. The photo gained traction in the days after the robbery. In the photo, a man walks past police at the Louvre gate. He's dressed in a striking suit, accessorized with a fedora and an umbrella in hand. He has a pensive look on his face.
Speculation sprung up on platforms like X and Facebook that this man was, in fact, a detective. On Oct. 22, X user @MsMelChen wrote, "Actual shot (not AI!) of a French detective working the case of the French Crown Jewels that were stolen from the Louvre in a brazen daylight robbery."
"This man an ACTUAL FRENCH DETECTIVE investigating the Louvre heist and he looks like he’s just stepped off the Orient Express," another said on X. "This is, by all accounts, genuinely the detective tasked with cracking the Louvre heist. God I love the French," writer David Patrikarakos said, before following it up with another tweet ("turns out it's not.")
YouTuber Jay Anderson wrote on X, "The French Detective on scene for the recent jewellery heist at The Louvre in Paris is the most detective looking detective I have ever detected." One delighted TikToker laughed as she said, "This is apparently the detective investigating the Louvre heist ... someone needs to write about this immediately." Soon, the internet's hopes of a new version of Hercule Poirot were dashed.
Is the man in the photo really a detective?
The answer is No. A striking photograph taken on October 19, 2025, outside the Louvre Museum in Paris has sparked curiosity worldwide. Captured by Associated Press photographer Thibault Camus, the photo shows police officers blocking access to the museum following a robbery, but the real attention has gone to a lone man in the frame.The AP caption read: “Police officers block an access to the Louvre museum after a robbery Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, in Paris,” making no mention of any detective.
Speaking with the New York Times, Camus confirmed that the man is an unidentified passerby with no known connection to the robbery. Camus explained he was drawn to the man’s outfit and how it visually resonated with the historic Louvre setting, describing the passerby as “old-fashioned like a museum can be.”
Camus also photographed other people at the scene, including a woman wearing a Yankees hat walking past the police, though none of these images received the same viral attention. The identity of the mysterious Louvre passerby remains unknown, and he has yet to come forward.
Social media buzz sparks speculation
Another post by social media influencer Ian Miles Cheong, viewed over 90,000 times, read, “The man in the fedora, who looks like he came out of a detective film noir from the 1940s is an actual French police detective who’s investigating the theft of the Crown Jewels at the Louvre. Pure aesthetic.”Melissa Chen commented on X, “To solve it, we need an unshaven, overweight, washed-out detective who's in the middle of divorce. A functioning alcoholic who the rest of the department hates.
Never gonna crack it with a detective who wears an actual fedora unironically.” Social media user @ChloreaFan, in a post viewed 100,000 times, stated, “They will bring the grizzled vet you speak of onto the case. They will be forced to work together, even though the fancy cop will want to play it by the rules and the grizzled vet wants to bend the rules.
They will both learn a little about themselves in the process.” Contributor alliebunn_, in a TikTok post viewed 5.2 million times, captioned, “Yes I’m romanticizing this, it’s the most exciting news we’ve got in a WHILE!” Another TikTok user, thewafflehome, with a post viewed over 270,000 times, overlaid the text: “A crazy heist that occurred right around Halloween and no one is suspecting Raymond Holt and his detective squad at the 99th precinct in Brooklyn????”
