Flaco, NYC’s celebrity owl, dies after flying into a building

MANHATTAN, N.Y. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - New York City's celebrity owl Flaco died from a traumatic impact, zoologists confirmed a day after he reportedly flew into a building on Friday.

New Yorkers who fell in love with Flaco the owl the past year honored him at his favorite oak tree in Central Park.

The Central Park Zoo announced the death of Flaco after he was found Friday on an Upper West Side sidewalk after hitting a building.

Tourists and New Yorkers tracked Flaco after he escaped from the Central Park Zoo last February when his exhibit was vandalized. Flaco flew around Central Park and Manhattan, capturing the hearts of so many.

Further testing will be performed to determine if Flaco may have been sick.

"We believe he suffered a double concussion, first from striking a window or the building and Flaco landed...faceplanted actually...and he had bruising all over his keel," said Emily Einhorn with Wild Bird Fund.

Police are still seeking to arrest whoever let him out of his enclosure at the Central Park Zoo a year ago.