Russian daredevil couple arrested after climbing Empire State Building for proposal and peace banner

Russian roof climbers Ivan Beerkus and Angela Nikolau climbed to the top of the Empire State Building and were subsequently detained by police. At the building's spire, they displayed a banner bearing the well-known Jimi Hendrix quote: "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." Beerkus then proposed to Nikolau, and she accepted. Footage of Beerkus getting down on one knee was captured by police officers from a helicopter. The couple was standing at a height of approximately 440 meters (1,444 feet).

A Russian daredevil couple, Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus, illegally scaled the Empire State Building's antenna spire for a dramatic marriage proposal. Filmed without safety gear, they unfurled a peace banner before Beerkus proposed. The stunt, captured in a viral video, ended with their arrest and multiple charges, including burglary and reckless endangerment.

A Russian daredevil couple climbed to the top of the Empire State Building’s towering spire in New York City on Wednesday to ‌unfurl a large banner urging world peace in what appeared to be an elaborate marriage proposal that ended in their arrests. Dressed in sleeveless black outfits and documenting their time in the sky on social media, Angela Nikolau and Vanya Beerkus hung onto the landmark skyscraper’s antenna spire near the glowing red light at its ​tip some 1,454 feet above the sidewalks of midtown Manhattan. They held a black banner with a message in all-capital white ​letters that flapped in the wind that said: “When the power of love beats the love of power the world ⁠knows peace.” A dizzying proposal A little after 12:30pm, the pair could be seen on aerial video feeds slowly climbing down to a slightly ​lower platform in the antenna structure, where they paused. Beerkus then appeared to propose to Nikolau, getting down on one knee, before the ​couple embraced and kissed. Nikolau, wearing her trademark Catwoman-style headgear, could then be seen admiring her hand and taking photographs of her ring to share on Instagram. The couple and their adventures in what has become known as “rooftopping” were the subject of a 2024 Netflix documentary called ‘Skywalkers: A Love Story’. View this post on Instagram The New York Police Department (NYPD) closed down streets around the ​building and later said they had taken the couple into custody “without incident.” The couple, identified by police as Angelina Nikolau, 33, and Ivan ​Kuznetsov, 32, were charged with several offenses, including burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal tampering, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, according to an NYPD spokesperson. The ‌spokesperson said ⁠he did not know whether the couple were still in custody. It was not clear how they gained access to the antenna. New York landmarks, including the Empire State Building, have had heightened security since the World Trade Centre attacks in 2001. The climb came as the heatwave-gripped city is already in high spirits, bracing for the expected wedding of musician Taylor Swift and National Football League star Travis Kelce, and crowds for the July 4 ​celebration of the 250th anniversary of ​the Declaration of Independence. Father of climber says ‘it’s normal’ The Art Deco tower, for decades the tallest building in the world before it was surpassed in the 1960s, sells tickets to tourists who want to ascend to an enclosed observation deck on its ​102nd floor. It does not allow visitors to go higher still by dangerously clambering up the 200-foot ​antenna spire above ⁠it. An Empire State Building spokesperson described Wednesday’s climb as an “unauthorised incident” in a statement that suggested that the couple should have instead opted for the building’s $1,000 “Happily Ever Empire Proposal Package” to rent out the observation deck. Nikolau’s acrobatics run in the family, and her father, the Russian circus artist Dmitriy Nikolau, ⁠was aware ​of his daughter’s climb when answering a call from a reporter. “I think it is ​normal to climb up a roof in any country, including the United States, according to any constitution,” he said. Asked if he was worried about her following her arrest, he said: “Why ​should I be worried? I climb up roofs myself.”

Angela Nikolau and Vanya Beerkus shared their climb on social media Couple featured in documentary “Skywalkers: A Love Story.” Nikolau’s circus artist father says climbing atop buildings is normal behavior NEW YORK — A Russian daredevil couple climbed to the top of the Empire State Building’s towering spire in New York City on Wednesday to unfurl […] The post Russian daredevils unfurl banner atop New York’s Empire State Building in proposal stunt appeared first on Interaksyon.

A Russian couple was arrested after climbing the Empire State Building and proposing atop it.