Josh Johnson was on his normal evening run, the same route he has been running three or four days a week for the past three months, a trail off of S.E. 54th Street east of Island Park Elementary.

Out of seemingly nowhere, a large owl attacked his head, puncturing it with one of its talons.

“It was impressive,” Johnson said. “He wouldn’t leave me alone.”

Johnson said he ran as fast as he could, but all of a sudden it swooped down and landed on a branch in front of him, continuing to stay ahead of him, going branch to branch even after he picked up a stick and swung at it.

“It was unbelievable — I thought I wasn’t getting out of it,” he said. “It was a full-grown male owl, it must have been 30 pounds.”

Johnson said the owl followed him for a good 100 yards and would try to attack if he turned his back on it. He said he could feel it swooping down to attack.

“It was impressive how fearless it was,” he said.

With the days getting shorter, it was getting darker out when Johnson was running, possibly interfering with the owl’s hunting schedule.

Similar incidents have been reported over the years on the Island from Luther Burbank Park to Pioneer Park. There, other owls have swooped down on joggers, ostensibly to drive them away from nesting sites.

Johnson said he used to run a different route, but was chased by dogs, so he gave up on that route. Now he’s wary to go back to this routine, and wants other Islanders to be cautious, too.