In a heartfelt social media post that has since gone viral, Metallica is asking fans to help solve a decades-old mystery and reunite a rare photo with a person who likely has no idea it even exists. The band recently shared a touching message from photographer Vincent Pugliese, who captured an image of James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich with an unknown child outside Madison Square Garden in 1996 — and they're now hoping to find the young man in the picture.
According to Pugliese's story, the encounter happened after a New York Rangers game he was photographing. While standing outside the locker rooms that evening, he noticed Hetfield and Ulrich nearby. As a longtime Metallica fan — who first saw them open for Ozzy Osbourne in 1986 — he struck up a conversation. The band was there to hang out with Jaromir Jagr, a legendary NHL player and music fan.
When Pugliese asked if he could take a picture of the two band members, Ulrich explained that it couldn't just be them in the shot for promotional reasons. A young boy standing nearby was asked to join the photo, and without hesitation, he did — even though, as Pugliese noted, "I don't think the kid had any clue who they were."
The photo was never published, and in the years since, Pugliese has made several attempts to locate the mystery child. He has shared the image every few years with the hope that someone might recognize the boy, but so far, no luck.
"About once every four or five years, I try to find the kid in this photo.
Here's the story behind it," wrote Pugliese. "In 1996, I was outside of the locker rooms at Madison Square Garden in New York City after photographing a Rangers game that evening. Standing right next to me were James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich – the singer and drummer of the band Metallica.
"I had been a huge Metallica fan for a decade at that point- having seen them in concert as the opening act for Ozzy Osbourne in 1986. Their music was a big part of the soundtrack of my youth. So I struck up a conversation with the two of them. I learned that they were there to hang out with Jaromir Jagr – a star player for the Pittsburgh Penguins and a huge music fan.
"I then asked if I could shoot a picture of them. This was before selfies or digital cameras were a thing, so I didn't even think to ask to take a picture of me with them. Lars told me that for promotional reasons, it couldn't just be the members of Metallica in the picture. The kid in this photo was nearby, so we asked him if he wanted to be in the picture. I don't think the kid had any clue who they were.
"We went on our merry ways, and every few years I think about this kid. He's never seen this picture because it was never published in any magazine. All these years later, Metallica is still one of the biggest bands in the world. I think it would be cool if he saw this.
"So I post this in the hopes that someone, somewhere knows who his is so we can get him this picture. And I still can't believe I don't have a picture of me with the boys from Metallica."
Now, with Metallica's massive global reach and a devoted fanbase, there's renewed hope that the mystery can finally be solved: "C'mon everyone… let's help Vincent finally get this pic to the young man in this photo!" Metallica wrote in their post, urging fans to spread the word.
In a world where everyone is just a few clicks away, this shared effort to find one person from a candid moment nearly 30 years ago shows how powerful music — and community — can be. If you or someone you know might recognize the kid in the photo taken at MSG in 1996, Metallica and Vincent Pugliese are ready to finally put the image in the right hands.
