‘Palm Beach Pete’ (left) has said he keeps getting stopped for photographs as people believe he is Jeffrey Epstein (right) (Picture: via REUTERS)
A retired man has been forced to deny he is Jeffrey Epstein after a video of him driving around Florida went viral.
The American, who has identified himself as ‘Palm Beach Pete’, was filmed driving on a road in Florida by an influencer, who claimed ‘Epstein is alive’ during the clip.
Pete then set up an Instagram social media accounts, under the handle @NotEpstein, and posted a video outlining who he is.
The account has now been removed. However, in a previous post, he’ said: ‘Hey everybody, this is Palm Beach Pete and my video went viral because some dude randomly filmed me while I was driving on I-95, unbeknownst to me. And the next thing I know, I’m a viral sensation.’
Pete said he has people often coming up to him and asking him for a photograph (Picture: INSTAGRAM /@not.epstein)
Pete said he went to a party in New York once and Epstein was there, adding he found him ‘kinda creepy’ (Picture: Neil Rasmus/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Pete said that his life had gotten ‘pretty crazy’ after the video was posted, having gotten tons of comments on his appearance.
A person can then be heard off camera asking: ‘So, you’re not Jeffrey Epstein?’
Pete replied: ‘I’m not Jeffrey Epstein. I’m Palm Beach Pete.’
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVzM2VHEfsK/?utm_source=ig_embed
Celebrity news website TMZ later interviewed him, he said he had gone viral a few times in the past – most notably at a hockey game with his children and when he was featured in the background of reality show The Real Housewives of New York City, where he was spotted greeting Sonja Morgan.
‘Back in the day, when I was living in the city, I went to a couple of parties and Epstein was there,’ he said.
Pete described Epstein as ‘kinda’ creepy, staying to himself and he wasn’t the magnitude that he is or was, he wasn’t a big deal.’
He also stated that he never really met the pedophile financier, nor did he have a conversation with him.
Epstein took his own life in 2019 while awaiting trial for child trafficking charges. He is pictured with President Donald Trump in 1997 (Photo by Davidoff Studios/Getty Images)
Epstein was ‘mysterious’ according to Pete, who stated what many others have, that ‘people didn’t know where he made his money or what his story was.
While awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges in police custody in New York, Epstein took his own life in 2019.
Following Epstein’s death, conspiracy theories have swirled that he was killed or that he is still alive.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWHnG-tkeYJ/
Pete said that while he had never had someone aggressively confront him over in person over Epstein’s convictions and charges, but has received negative comments online.
He added that he is refusing to change his look despite his likeness to the disgraced financier, stating: ‘I’m me, I’m Palm Beach Pete.
‘I’m a regular guy, I’m retired, I’ve lived in the city for a long time. I worked in commercial real estate.
‘I love to play tennis, I’m very social, I’m not going to change.
‘This guy is dead. He was a really bad person. I can hold my head high – I didn’t do anything. I’m just a better looking version than Jeffrey.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Comment now
Comments
Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google
Add as preferred source
