Russian 'Rooftopping' Couple Scale Empire State Building Spire, Get Engaged, Arrested

Two social media daredevils climbed unroped to the very top of the Empire State Building's spire on July 1, unfurled a banner, and got engaged roughly 1,450 feet above Manhattan — before being arrested and arraigned on felony charges. What happened Around noon on Wednesday, security camera and witness accounts show a man and woman, both masked, emerging onto the building's antenna structure with no visible harnesses or ropes. Once at the top, they unfurled a large black banner reading "When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace" — a quote often attributed to Jimi Hendrix — while filming themselves for social media. After roughly 30 minutes at the top, the pair began climbing down to a lower platform on the spire, where the man dropped to one knee and proposed. The couple embraced and kissed before continuing their descent, where NYPD officers were waiting. The pair were identified as Angela Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32 (who also goes by "Ivan Beerkus" on social media) — Russian nationals known internationally for "rooftopping," the practice of climbing tall buildings and structures without safety equipment. The couple were the subjects of the 2024 Netflix documentary "Skywalkers: A Love Story," which follows their climbs on skyscrapers around the world. How they got up there According to a law enforcement source cited by CNN, the pair entered the Empire State Building as ordinary visitors the day before the stunt and hid inside after the building closed. They then made their way to the 104th floor, maneuvered around a security gate, and cut two cable locks to reach the antenna structure. Investigators and building security are still examining exactly how the pair evaded standard screening — one theory being examined is that they may have entered through a tenant or commercial entrance rather than the observation deck's security checkpoint. The response The stunt triggered a significant emergency response. Because the building's broadcast antenna emits high-frequency radio signals strong enough to pose a health risk at close range, engineers had to power it down for about 30 minutes before NYPD's Emergency Service Unit — specially trained officers wearing harnesses — could climb roughly 1,250 feet to reach the pair and safely bring them down. Streets below were closed as police responded, though the Empire State Building said in a statement that there was "at no time danger to tenants, visitors, and Empire State Building Observation Deck guests," and the building appeared to remain open to the public during the incident. The charges Nikolau and Kuznetsov were arraigned Thursday on felony charges including burglary, reckless endangerment, and criminal mischief, along with misdemeanor counts of criminal tampering, criminal trespass, disorderly conduct, and possession of burglar's tools. Because the felony charges are not bail-eligible under New York law, the pair were released under court supervision and are due back in court on August 24. Prosecutors described them in court as social media influencers "who engage in extreme risk-taking behavior, including breaking into restricted areas of commercial buildings, hanging from rooftops and free-climbing skyscrapers." The incident is the latest in a string of high-profile moments for New York City this summer, coming weeks after raucous celebrations of the Knicks' first championship in 53 years and amid heightened NYPD presence for World Cup matches taking place in the region.