Daredevil climbers reportedly get engaged after scaling Empire State Building

A black-clad couple scaled the Empire State Building’s spire, unfurled a peace banner and turned the climb into an engagement before New York police took them into custody. Angela Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, also known as Ivan Beerkus, reached the landmark’s 1,454-foot summit on Wednesday as police cleared the observation deck and sent an NYPD helicopter overhead.

Police identified them as Russian-born residents of East Orange, New Jersey, and they have built an online following by scaling tall buildings without ropes or other safety gear, including Malaysia’s 2,227-foot Merdeka 118 Tower. Nikolau posted about the stunt on social media while it was happening, turning the climb into a live spectacle as cameras below tracked their movements.

The pair entered through a locked maintenance hatch on the 102nd-floor observation deck after watching staff movements, then moved onto the structure that services the spire, transmitter and antenna. NYPD Emergency Service Unit officers climbed up harnessed, met them partway up the spire and guided them down just before 1 p.m., after they had spent nearly an hour at the top. Police charged them with burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, violation of local law, possession of burglar’s tools, criminal tampering, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.

There was no danger to tenants, visitors or observation deck guests, and the deck reopened later in the afternoon. The building’s rules prohibit masks and costumes, yet the pair climbed in dark outfits and masks.