Couple faces charges after Empire State Building spire stunt, apparent proposal

Police say Angela Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov face multiple charges after climbing the Empire State Building’s transmission tower on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in a stunt that briefly shut down the normal flow of sightseeing at one of New York’s most watched landmarks. The pair, identified by police as 33-year-old Nikolau and 32-year-old Kuznetsov, climbed to the upper structure, unfurled a banner, and appeared to get engaged.

NYPD body-camera footage released by Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch showed Emergency Service Unit officers responding at about 12:51 p.m. and taking the climbers into custody just before 1 p.m. Authorities said the climb was especially dangerous because the tower was powered and transmitting radio and television signals, raising the risk of exposure while the pair were on the spire above Manhattan.

The banner carried a pro-peace message that included the line, “When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace.” The stunt quickly moved from viral spectacle to police matter, with officers and building security forced to manage the scene around a landmark that draws millions of visitors and sits at the center of the city’s commercial and cultural image.

Police and local media said Nikolau and Kuznetsov live in East Orange, New Jersey, and are originally from Russia. Kuznetsov’s social media page identifies him as Ivan Beerkus, a name already tied to the kind of roof-topping climbs that turn buildings into content. The pair had previously been featured in a documentary about climbing Malaysia’s Merdeka 118 Tower, which rises 2,227 feet.

The Empire State Building itself has long been a symbol of ambition and competition. It opened on April 11, 1931, was built in 410 days, and held the title of the world’s tallest building for 40 years before the World Trade Center surpassed it in 1970. That history has made it an enduring target for attention, but Wednesday’s climb underscored how quickly social media fame can spill into a public-safety response, leaving city authorities to absorb the risk, the disruption and the cost of another highly visible stunt.