Gabby Douglas -- Chaos in NYC

The East Coast leg of Gabby Douglas' post-Olympic media blitz started right at JFK yesterday ... 'cause the second she stepped off the plane she was SWARMED by fans, autograph seekers and paparazzi.

Thanks to some help from the NYPD, the 16-year-old gold medal winner made it to her waiting SUV without incident.

Gabby's a valuable commodity these days -- according to Forbes, she's expected to rake in between $5 and $10 million in sponsorship deals over the next 4 years.