2 local residents appear in new documentary about Flaco

After the Flaco documentary wrapped in June 2025, locals featured include Javier Torres (seated in the middle) and Juan Rosado (far right). 

Reporting and photos by Stacie Joy

"Wild Inside," a new documentary about Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl who captivated New Yorkers after escaping from the Central Park Zoo in 2023, makes its theatrical debut Friday (July 31) at the IFC Center on Sixth Avenue at Third Street. 

The film, directed by Penny Lane, follows Flaco's unlikely journey through the city — including the eight days he spent roaming the East Village and Lower East Side in November 2023. 

Flaco first arrived in the neighborhood on Nov. 6, 2023, when he was spotted at the Kenkeleba House Garden off Avenue B and Third Street. Over the following week, he turned up at several locations on the East Side, drawing birders, photographers and curious neighbors hoping to catch a glimpse. 

Among those featured in the documentary are barber Juan Rosado and photographer Javier Torres.

Rosado said Flaco's visit left a lasting impression. 

"He meant a lot because he landed above my window," he recalled. "I missed him by one minute." 

After racing to his rooftop and finding the owl gone, Rosado, also a noted photographer who lives in the East Village, tried to predict where Flaco might head next.

"I said to myself, 'Where would I run to if I were an owl?'" he said. "Sure enough, he went to Grand Street and Lewis." 

Rosado believes Flaco lingered there after spotting the owl statues mounted on a nearby school before eventually returning to the East Village, where neighbors reported hearing his nighttime hoots as he searched for a mate. 

For Torres, an LES resident, photographing Flaco was an unforgettable experience. 

"It was magical," he said. "I felt like a kid seeing a magic show for the first time." 

After hearing reports that Flaco was near the Hillman Co-ops, Torres grabbed his camera and joined a group of bird photographers and news crews searching for the owl.

Photo from November on the LES by Javier Torres via @vinweasel_

"We could hear his deep hoots, but visibility was poor," he said. "I managed to gain access to the rooftop where he was. I took about 15 shots, and he flew away." 

Juan Rosado and Javier Torres yesterday

Flaco died in February 2024 after colliding with a building on the Upper West Side. 

But for a memorable week in November 2023, the East Village and Lower East Side became an unexpected stop on his journey — one now preserved on film.

 

King Flaco outside the 2nd Avenue F stop

Here's the final Flaco tribute mural outside the Second Avenue F stop on Houston.

Nite Owl, an Oakland, Calif.-based artist known for his expressive murals of owls, created this King Flaco memorial mural. (Check out his work on Instagram.)

Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle-Owl, was found dead on Feb. 23 after apparently colliding with a building on the Upper West Side. As the Associated Press put it, "Flaco ... escaped from New York City's Central Park Zoo and became one of the city's most beloved celebrities as he flew around Manhattan." 

Flaco also spent eight days in the East Village and Lower East Side this past November. 

An East Village tribute to Flaco

Photos by Laura "Lulu" Reich 

Here's an in-progress look at a Flaco tribute mural going up outside the Second Avenue F stop on Houston.

The work is, appropriately enough, by Nite Owl, an Oakland, Calif.-based artist known for his expressive murals of owls. (Check out his work on Instagram.)

Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle-Owl, was found dead on Feb. 23 after apparently colliding with a building on the Upper West Side. As the Associated Press put it, "Flaco ... escaped from New York City's Central Park Zoo and became one of the city's most beloved celebrities as he flew around Manhattan." 

Flaco spent eight days in the East Village and Lower East Side this past November. Flaco was first spotted in the East Village on Nov. 6 at the Kenkeleba House Garden off Avenue B and Third Street. He was seen repeatedly over the next few days here and on the Lower East Side.

Updated 6/8: See the final mural here.

A campaign to commemorate Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle-Owl that captivated NYC the past year

Photo from November on the LES by @vinweasel_

As you may have seen, there's a movement in place to garner public support for a statue in Central Park commemorating the recently deceased Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle-Owl. 

Brandon Borror-Chappell and Mike Hubbard launched the Change.org petition this past week, noting to us that the 13-year-old Flaco's "all-too-brief story of survival, freedom, and resilience in New York City was powerful enough to warrant a commemorative monument." 

Note this is simply a petition, currently with just more than 3,000 signatures, and not a fundraiser. 

"We know there is an enormous distance between gathering signatures and unveiling a statue, especially in the highly protected grounds of Central Park. We will continue to push for broader public support, but also want to chart a path toward turning this into reality," they told us. 

And per the petition: "There are many hurdles before such a thing might be installed, but the first step is a demonstration of public support. Please consider adding your name to this petition and sharing with anyone who might do the same." 

Find the petition here. 

Flaco was found dead on Feb. 23 after apparently colliding with a building on the Upper West Side, according to a statement from the Wildlife Conservation Society, which runs the Central Park Zoo.

This weekend, Flaco the owl was memorialized by @GovKathyHochul, @NYCMayor and the front page of the @nytimes, recognizing how much he was embraced as a New Yorker. @edkshanahan’s article is fittingly titled “New Yorkers Mourn Neighbor They Could All Look Up To.”

(Cont’d) pic.twitter.com/DRrgYVKOXG

— David Lei (@davidlei) February 26, 2024

This past November, Flaco spent eight days in the East Village and Lower East Side.

Flaco was first spotted in the East Village on Nov. 6 at the Kenkeleba House Garden off Avenue B and Third Street. He was seen multiple times over the next few days here and on the Lower East Side.  

Monday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

A tribute to Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl, outside Club Cumming on Sixth Street.

RIP Flaco

Photo from November on the LES by @Vinweasel_

Sad news from the Upper West Side last evening.

To the Associated Press:

Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl who escaped from New York City's Central Park Zoo and became one of the city's most beloved celebrities as he flew around Manhattan, has died, zoo officials announced Friday. 

A little over one year after he was freed from his cage at the zoo in a criminal act that has yet to be solved, Flaco appears to have collided with an Upper West Side building, the zoo said in a statement. 

Flaco was 13.

This past November, Flaco — the only Eurasian eagle-owl in the wild in North America — spent eight days in the East Village and Lower East Side.

Flaco was first spotted in the East Village on Nov. 6 at the Kenkeleba House Garden off Avenue B and Third Street. He was seen multiple times over the next few days here and on the Lower East Side... inspiring some we've-been-there-too poetry and silly headlines.

And among the many remembrances on X...

As you may have already seen, Flaco the Eurasian eagle-owl has passed away. I am sad beyond words. Flaco defied the odds and made quite a life for himself in the city over the past year. Along the way he came to mean so much to so many, including me. ❤️🦉 pic.twitter.com/gJnby3TtvB

— David Lei (@davidlei) February 24, 2024

Thank you for visiting us and for connecting us to something bigger. Rest easy, Flaco 💔 #flaco #birdcpp @BirdCentralPark @davidlei pic.twitter.com/vxgeasUvtP

— RHP (@RobinHerbstPapa) February 24, 2024

I am heartbroken tonight as I know so many of you are. I took this video of Flaco one week ago today, which was the last time I saw him. Hearing him hoot brings me comfort, and I hope it brings you some comfort too.💕🦉

We will never forget you, Flaco. pic.twitter.com/VvAOyYaupf

— JacquelineUWS (@jacquelineUWS) February 24, 2024

ICYMI: Flaco is backo on the Upper East Side

Flaco continued to enjoy his sunny life on Fifth Avenue earlier today, just across the street from Central Park, where perhaps he will go hunting later. Thanks to Sarah Bramwell for sharing this photo. 🦉 ♥️ pic.twitter.com/r4DT2DqbGC

— Manhattan Bird Alert (@BirdCentralPark) November 15, 2023

After nearly eight-plus days of a downtown sojourn, Flaco — the only Eurasian eagle owl in the wild in North America — has returned to his usual confines around Central Park. 

There were rumors of a Central Park return yesterday... and the @BirdCentralPark X account was able to confirm the sightings later.

Flaco was first spotted in the East Village on Nov. 6 at the Kenkeleba House Garden off Avenue B and Third Street. He was seen multiple times over the next few days here and on the Lower East Side... even inspiring some we've-been-there-too poetry.

H/T Steven

For Flaco

Previously

Flaco continues East Village tour

Reporting by Stacie Joy 

The Flaco watch continues. 

The Eurasian eagle-owl was first spotted far away from his Central Park home on Monday in the East Village. 

And the sightings continue. 

The images here are by @Vinweasel_, who reports he was tracking Flaco via other photographers, and networking together. He photographed the owl at an undisclosed local location with his Sony A7iii with a 70-200 2.8 lens and a monopod.

And at seeing the great Eurasian eagle-owl? 

"I was stoked like a 10-year-old at an amusement park!"