Two people climbed to the very top of the Empire State Building in New York City on Wednesday afternoon, unfurled a large black banner from its spire, and then appeared to get engaged before being taken into custody.
The NYPD identified them as Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, and Angelina Nikolau, 33. Kuznetsov is also known online as Ivan Beerkus. The couple live in East Orange, New Jersey, and have an established history of climbing tall buildings around the world without ropes or other safety equipment. They were featured in a 2024 Netflix documentary called "Skywalkers: A Love Story," which showcased their climb of Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, the world's second tallest building at 2,227 feet.
The incident began around noon Wednesday. The two reached the very top of the building, clinging to the spire with no visible safety gear, and unfurled a large black banner with white lettering. The top of the building's spire sits 1,454 feet above the ground.
The banner read: "When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace." The quote is often attributed to Jimi Hendrix.
According to CBS News, preliminary information indicates the two entered through a hatch on the 103rd floor used for water tower maintenance. The 103rd floor is not open to the public, though the 102nd is. Law enforcement sources told CBS News the key question is how they moved from the 102nd to the 103rd floor, which gave them access to the radio and television transmission tower above.
Witnesses on the observation deck below watched as the events unfolded. Tourist Julie Morris described what she saw.
"They opened the gate and they went up to the top. So somebody said, are you allowed up the top? And he said, the security guard said, no, nobody's allowed up top. But because I'd seen them go up, I just assumed that they were allowed up there," Morris said.
Another tourist, Martin Mulgrew, had a simpler reaction.
"Why would anyone want to propose on the top of a building?" he said.
His daughter Maeve Mulgrew watched them descend toward their arrest.
"We're looking up, enjoying the view again, and they're waving down, just standing there, peering over," she said. "Then coming down to your arrest? They must've really been in love."
The couple posted to social media while still at the top, including close-up images of the proposal and the engagement ring. An NYPD helicopter responded to the scene. At 12:35 p.m., the two began to descend. Once they reached a lower platform on the tower, Kuznetsov dropped to one knee and appeared to propose. The two then embraced.
The observation deck was cleared during the incident and reopened later in the afternoon.
Both face a long list of charges, including burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, violation of a local law, criminal tampering, disorderly conduct, and possession of burglar's tools.
A spokesperson for the Empire State Building said in a statement that there was at no time danger to the building's tenants or visitors.
"It is to be emphasized that the Empire State Building Observation Deck, atop the World's Most Famous Building in the center of New York City, does offer a practical way for the most memorable marriage proposals," the spokesman said.
