Rooftopper couple arrested after engagement atop Empire State Building

Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, and Angelina Nikolau, 33, scaled the Empire State Building’s 1,454-foot antenna, unfurled a banner about love and peace and went down on one knee high above Midtown Manhattan before police arrested them. Police identified the Russian-born pair as Kuznetsov and Nikolau, who also use the names Ivan Beerkus and Angela Nikolau online.

The NYPD responded at about 12:51 p.m. on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, after the pair reached the spire. Body-camera footage later showed officers telling the climbers, “You can’t be up here.” The antenna had to be powered down for safety, which prevented officers from going up while the stunt was underway. Prosecutors also said the pair may have broken through a door to reach the antenna.

Video from the scene showed one of them going down on one knee, followed by an embrace and a kiss, after they had unfurled a banner reading, “When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace.” Kuznetsov later told detectives he wanted to do “something special” for the engagement.

By Thursday, July 2, 2026, the couple had been arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on multiple felonies and misdemeanors, including burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, criminal tampering, possession of burglar’s tools, disorderly conduct and violation of local law. Their attorney said prosecutors had “overcharged” the case. The pair were released on supervised release and ordered back to court on August 24, 2026.

The Empire State Building said the incident was resolved with NYPD coordination and that tenants, visitors and observation deck guests were never in danger. Its observation deck is available for memorable marriage proposals. Kuznetsov and Nikolau were featured in Netflix’s 2024 documentary “Skywalkers: A Love Story,” which followed earlier illegal climbs of Goldin Finance 117 in Tianjin, China, and Malaysia’s Merdeka 118. The Empire State Building’s transmission tower carries radio and television signals and can pose radio-frequency radiation and electrical hazards when powered.