Two Russian nationals known for scaling skyscrapers without permission are facing multiple criminal charges after climbing to the very top of the Empire State Building this week to stage what appeared to be a marriage proposal.
The Climb
Angela Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32 — who also goes by Ivan Beerkus — reached the building’s spire, roughly 1,454 feet above the street, on Wednesday afternoon. Once at the summit, the pair, dressed head to toe in black, unfurled a large banner with a message about love overcoming the pursuit of power, and were seen kissing at the top.
Nikolau and Kuznetsov are well-known figures in the underground world of “rooftopping,” where climbers scale tall buildings and structures — often illegally — to capture dramatic photos and videos or draw attention to a cause. The two share a home address in New Jersey and have reportedly pulled off similar unauthorized climbs in China and California in the past. Between them, their social media following runs into the millions.
The Arrest
Police monitored the stunt using a drone and helicopter before officers from the NYPD’s emergency service unit — a team trained for high-altitude rescues — took the pair into custody. They spent their first night as a reportedly newly engaged couple in separate holding cells near the Manhattan courthouse where they were later arraigned.
The charges against them are extensive, including burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, criminal tampering, disorderly conduct, and possession of tools used for breaking and entering. Authorities are still trying to determine exactly how the couple managed to bypass security to reach the building’s highest points.
Building Management Responds
The Empire State Building, completed in 1931 as the tallest building in the world at the time and later immortalized in the finale of King Kong, is no stranger to attention-grabbing stunts. In response to this one, the building’s owners issued a statement suggesting that couples looking to get engaged might consider using the official observation deck instead — calling it a more conventional way to create a memorable proposal.
