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'Fan Man' steals hearts, inspires New Yorkers with high-flying hobby
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Nov 6, 2025
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Courtesy of Johnathan Warren
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Nov 6, 2025
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It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Fan Man!
An amazing stranger has become the talk of the neighborhood in Gravesend, Brooklyn, where locals have been buzzing for months at the sight of a mystery daredevil soaring through the air on a parachute, propelled by a motorized fan strapped to his back. Videos of the man in the sky have circulated on social media in recent weeks, sparking awe and concern over his safety.
The man’s identity remained a secret until Sunday, when the NYPD arrested him and confiscated his aircraft after he touched down in the neighborhood’s popular Calvert Vaux Park. Following his capture, the Fan Man was identified as Johnathan Warren, a 40-year-old computer programmer from Bedford-Stuyvesant who insists his flights are completely legal.
The Fan Man might be grounded, but his legend is reaching new heights in the area of Southern Brooklyn where he’s known to fly. Gravesend resident Max Juan said he witnessed the Fan Man’s arrest on Sunday, when Juan was walking his dogs in the park. He said he saw Warren soar past a nearby building before an NYPD helicopter beamed a spotlight on the area. A group of police officers on the ground soon followed.
It wasn’t the first time he’d seen Warren defy gravity.
“I’ve seen him twice actually,” Juan, 24, said. “One time in Bay Ridge by the Verrazzano Bridge. … He flew right past the bridge and just kept going. I didn’t think anything of it.”
Juan said the local Icarus represents the best of the city.
“I mean, that’s the beauty in New York. Everybody has their different tastes and their different interests,” Juan said. “That’s the diversity here we have in this city.”
Calvert Vaux Park serves as a runway for the Fan Man's takeoffs and landings.
Ramsey Khalifeh / Gothamist
Gravesend residents have caught glimpses of Warren’s flights for two years. He said he’s taken off and landed more than 30 times from the neighborhood’s waterfront park.
“I’ve seen the paragliding guy a couple of times here passing by,” local resident Aly Ahmed said while soaking up the morning sun shirtless on a chilly Thursday morning at Calvert Vaux Park. “I thought it was normal, but it’s sort of weird if he’s coming closer [to land].”
The legality of Warren’s superhero-like hobby is murky. Warren told Gothamist he follows federal aviation regulations, and claims his flights are regulated by the federal government, not the NYPD.
But local laws still apply to Warren’s flights because he takes off and lands on city parkland. The Park Department said paramotors like the one he uses are strictly prohibited.
Still, nearby residents said the Fan Man added a dose of excitement to an otherwise relaxed neighborhood.
“I've seen him,” Gino Batali, another local resident, told a Gothamist reporter over a Facebook message. “Four or five spectacular sunsets over the summer until now."
Tagged
brooklyn
new york city
public safety
transportation
Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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