Search for Father and Daughter in Notre Dame Photo Taken An Hour Before Fire Goes Viral

As Brooke Windsor was leaving the iconic Notre Dame on Monday, she snapped a frame-worthy photo of who she believes to be a father and daughter, caught in a free-spirited moment of joviality together. Little did she know, a devastating fire would destroy the almost 800-year-old structure, just hours later. Now, she’s on the hunt for the duo.

According to Windsor’s Tweet, after snapping the photo, she almost went up to the dad and asked if he wanted it, now she wishes she had. She’s hoping the magic of Twitter will help find out who he is, and maybe it will…as of this morning, her plea has been re-tweeted over 200k times.

I took this photo as we were leaving #NotreDame about an hour before it caught on fire. I almost went up to the dad and asked if he wanted it. Now I wish I had. Twitter if you have any magic, help him find this 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/pEu33ubqCK

— Brooke Windsor (@brookeawindsor) April 16, 2019

Brooke tweeted a follow-up message explaining “I do not know for sure if it was a dad and daughter, it’s simply the dynamic I observed from them while debating on interrupting this moment. It may be an uncle, brother, friend, who knows until we find them.  –It was taken 5:57 local time”

Whether father and daughter, uncle and niece or some other relationship, this picture is sure to be a family keepsake if the man and girl are able to be identified.

Update: As of 04/18/2019, the man in the photo has been identified. Brooke shared the news on Twitter: “The search is over! The photo has reached the dad & family. He has chosen to remain anonymous in the wake of tragedy, and writes: “Thanks again for that beautiful photo, we will find a special place for it.” Thank you to everyone who has shared the picture and for your kind words”

Would you have been bold enough to interrupt the playful moment and offer up the photo? Have you ever captured an amazing moment on film? If so, what was it, and what did you do with it? Let us know in the comments below.

Article cover photo by Peter Haas (CC BY-SA 3.0).