Barack Obama greeted by cheering crowd in NYC

Barack Obama may no longer be the U.S. president, but it appears he can still draw a large crowd.

Business Insider is reporting that he "caused quite a commotion Friday when he stopped inside a Fifth Avenue New York City office building."

Allan Smith, a reporter for the news outlet, tweeted a video of Obama, and it shows a mass of people waving and cheering in blocked-off sections as he walks to his car.

Click through twitter reactions to Obama's NYC appearance:

The purpose for his visit is unknown, but The Hill points out, "Obama has mostly kept a low profile since exiting the White House last month after two terms as president."

Before leaving office, Obama had indicated that he would take some time off to write and spend time with family before possibly returning to his roots as an organizer but on a more global scale.

C-SPAN's recent survey of historians ranked him the 12th best president in history.

Watch a video of his appearance here: