{"id":3599,"date":"2026-07-02T09:05:33","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T09:05:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3599"},"modified":"2026-07-02T09:05:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T09:05:33","slug":"climber-couple-arrested-after-scaling-empire-state-building-antenna-for-apparent-marriage-proposal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3599","title":{"rendered":"Climber couple arrested after scaling Empire State Building antenna for apparent marriage proposal"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 A daredevil couple scaled the Empire State Building’s antenna Wednesday and unfurled a banner about \u201cthe power of love\u201d and peace, apparently as part of an audacious, high-altitude marriage proposal \u2014 soon followed by their arrest.<\/p>\n

Read more Belgium comes back from two goals down to beat Senegal 3-2 in extra time at World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n

The Russian climbers, who go by Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus, were the subject of the 2024 Netflix documentary \u201c Skywalkers: A Love Story \u201d about their \u201crooftopping\u201d exploits and budding romance.<\/p>\n

Dressed in black and wearing masks but not tethers, the two balanced on a narrow ledge and appeared to kiss atop the New York skyscraper’s antenna, news helicopter video showed. The banner, reading \u201cwhen the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace,\u201d waved from the structure, which rises 1,454 feet (443 meters) above midtown Manhattan.<\/p>\n

After lingering for a time, the two collected the banner and began to climb down, picking their way along the latticework of metal to a wider ledge, where one seemed to set up a piece of photography equipment and got down on one knee. After the two kissed again and hugged, the other person took selfies with an outstretched left hand, as if examining a ring.<\/p>\n

Police Emergency Services Unit officers started ascending a ladder in the spindly structure to intercept them. Police body camera video showed an officer calling out a greeting and explaining, \u201cWell, you can’t be up here.\u201d<\/p>\n

An off-camera voice replied with what sounded like, \u201cWe are engaged.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few seconds later, officers reached a landing within the antenna and met the couple, who were coming down a ladder and calmly spoke with police, the video showed.<\/p>\n

Nikolau posted images of the escapade on her social media accounts, including a photo that modeled an engagement-style ring above a bird\u2019s-eye view of Manhattan.<\/p>\n

The two climbers \u2014 whom police identified by their formal names, Angelina Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov \u2014 were arrested on burglary, reckless endangerment and other charges. It wasn’t immediately clear whether they had attorneys who could speak to the allegations. Messages seeking comment were sent to the couple.<\/p>\n

\u201cSkywalkers: A Love Story\u201d follows Beerkus and Nikolau as they make often unauthorized ascents of tall structures, sometimes posing as construction workers to sneak in.<\/p>\n

Read more Harry Kane sends England into the round of 16 of the World Cup after 2-1 win against Congo<\/a><\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t clear how the pair gained access to the Empire State Building’s antenna, which rises well above public areas of the 102-story building. Building management said in a statement that the episode was \u201cunauthorized\u201d and didn\u2019t endanger anyone in the skyscraper.<\/p>\n

The management didn\u2019t answer questions about how the two reached the antenna and what interactions, if any, they had with security workers. Empire State Building visitors are screened and told not to bring large packages, sports equipment, costumes or masks, among other items.<\/p>\n

Tourist Julie Morris told local TV stations that she was on one of the building’s observation decks when she saw two people pass through some mesh gates into an off-limits area. She said she assumed the pair, who weren’t masked, worked there.<\/p>\n

As the stunt unfolded, onlookers gaped from the sidewalks near the Art Deco office tower.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s crazy \u2014 it’s like being in the movies,\u201d said Jonathan Roman, a tourist visiting from the Scottish city of Glasgow. He and his 15-year-old son had observation platform tickets but arrived to find the building blocked off because of the antenna activity.<\/p>\n

Still, the spectacle was \u201cprobably more exciting than going up to the viewing platform for the second time,\u201d Roman reasoned.<\/p>\n

Daredevils have previously climbed the antenna and other parts of the Empire State Building. Those ascents have largely been unauthorized, but actor and musician Jared Leto was allowed to climb up to the base of the antenna from the 86th floor in 2023 to promote a tour.<\/p>\n

___ This story has been corrected to show that the incident happened Wednesday, not Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Read more BSO: Man dies after being shot by woman in North Lauderdale Walmart parking lot<\/a><\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 A daredevil couple scaled the Empire State Building’s antenna Wednesday and unfurled a banner about \u201cthe power of love\u201d and peace, apparently as part of an audacious, high-altitude marriage proposal \u2014 soon followed by their arrest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3598,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nClimber couple arrested after scaling Empire State Building antenna for apparent marriage proposal - South Florida Moving Guides<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3599\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Climber couple arrested after scaling Empire State Building antenna for apparent marriage proposal - 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