In March 2026, videos shared online sparked rumors that the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was alive and driving around in Florida. The two clips featured a man social media users identified as Epstein wearing sunglasses and a backward white baseball cap while driving a convertible with the top down.
For example, on March 14, a TikTok user reposted (archived) a video with the caption, "Jeffrey Epstein 'Spotted' in South Florida." The clip (archived) originated from a video shared by TikTok user Andrew Posey on March 12, which included on-screen text claiming it showed Epstein in the area. Other users shared the clip or screenshots from it on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok (archived).
@tyllytok Jeffrey Epstein "Spotted" in South Florida #news ##JeffreyEpstein #crime #fyp ##breakingnews ♬ original sound - TyllyTok
On the same day, another TikTok user posted a different video (archived) of the same driver, repeatedly saying, "That's Jeffrey." Some users' comments suggested that they believed the videos truly showed Epstein alive and driving the car.
@priimariie._ #fyp #american #florida #trump #jeffrey ♬ original sound - tre2live1
In short, the videos showed an Epstein look-alike. A man calling himself "Palm Beach Pete" (referred to as "Peter" from now on) announced on social media that he was the driver of the car.
Snopes contacted Peter to ask for more information, including his full name, and will update this article if we receive a response.
'Palm Beach Pete' reveals himself as driver in videos
On March 19, Peter posted a video (archived) on the newly-created X account @not_jeffepstein. Peter, wearing a white hat backward and appearing to drive the same car with the top down, says, "Hey everybody, this is 'Palm Beach Pete,' and my video went viral because some dude randomly filmed me when I was driving on I-95, unbeknownst to me. And the next thing I know, I'm a viral sensation." He continued, "I'm not Jeffrey Epstein. I'm 'Palm Beach Pete!'" He then ended the video with, "Peace out." (Peter also created similar accounts on Instagram and TikTok.)
In a second video (archived) on March 20, Peter addressed the virality of the video and clarified yet again, "I'm so not Jeffrey Epstein. I'm just me being me. And it's a crazy phenomenon that has went very viral, and I really appreciate all the support." Addressing Epstein's past, he added, "He's a very bad person, what he did, obviously. And he is dead, and I'm alive."
For any readers who doubt Peter's claim to be the man driving the car, a comparison of Peter with an authentic Epstein photo shows some facial differences. Peter has a more pronounced bottom lip, while Epstein's pictures commonly showed a larger top lip. The ear shapes also differed, including the angle of the intertragal notch (2) and the shape of the concha and antihelix (3).
(@amposey/TikTok and U.S. Justice Department (Snopes Illustration))
A medical examiner ruled in an autopsy report that Epstein died on Aug. 10, 2019, hanging himself in his New York jail cell. Even so, users have shared numerous rumors related to his federal case files, claiming he is still alive.
For further reading, we previously reported the facts about mentions of pizza and jerky in Epstein's federal case files.