Two Russian individuals were taken into New York City Police Department (NYPD) custody on Wednesday afternoon after illegally scaling the spire of the Empire State Building to pull off a dramatic marriage proposal and a peace demonstration.
The climbers; known as Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus climbed to the very top of the Empire State Building antenna, rising 1,454 feet above midtown Manhattan. The couple wore dark outfits and face coverings while scaling the metal latticework without safety tethers.
They unfurled a large black banner reading, "When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace". After displaying the banner, Beerkus dropped to one knee on a narrow ledge to propose, followed by the couple embracing and taking selfies.
Emergency calls began flooding in around 12:00 p.m. as onlookers and news helicopters spotted the duo. The NYPD Emergency Services Unit immediately responded, and the building's observation deck was temporarily cleared of visitors.
Around 1:00 p.m., the couple climbed back down to street level on their own accord. They were immediately intercepted by officers and placed into a police van without further incident. Authorities confirmed that no one was injured during the stunt.
Nikolau and Beerkus are well-known Russian "rooftoppers" whose extreme, unauthorized climbs were previously featured in a prominent Netflix documentary. A spokesperson for the Empire State Building emphasized that visitors and tenants were never in danger but reiterated that the climb was entirely unauthorized.
The NYPD is currently investigating how the couple managed to breach security to access the restricted transmission spire, and criminal charges including reckless endangerment and criminal trespassing are currently pending.
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