Russian Couple Arrested After Climbing Empire State Building to Get Engaged

New York: A Russian couple was arrested after climbing the antenna of the Empire State Building, unfurling a banner about the “power of love,” and getting engaged atop the iconic skyscraper on Tuesday. The pair were taken into custody and later charged with multiple offences following the unauthorised climb.

Reportedly, the couple, identified as 33-year-old Angela Nikolau and 32-year-old Vanya Beerkus got engaged standing atop the tower and documented the whole incident on social media. 

They were dressed in sleeveless black outfits and their faces were covered with masks and after climbing on the 1,454-foot skyscraper, they unfurled a large black banner that read "When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace." 

After 12:30 p.m., they began climbing down and paused at a lower platform where they stood for the proposal. They appeared to have no safety equipment or protective gears.

As per reports, the couple had previously climbed on other structures including, the Bay Bridge in San Francisco and Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, which is the world’s second tallest building.

Helicopters and drones were monitoring the couple as they stood on the antenna. Two officers of the Emergency Service Unit (ESU), climbed four ladders to reach them before safely bringing them down.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) has informed that both of them have been taken into custody. They have been charged with burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, trespass and disorderly conduct.
 
According to preliminary reports the pair entered inside through a hatch on the 103rd floor of the building, which is used for water tower maintenance. 

However, the 103rd floor is not open for the public but the 102nd floor is accessible and it is unclear as to how they reached the 103rd floor.

The couple also featured in the Netflix documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story in 2024, which is about their lives as urban climbers.

According to a spokesperson of the Empire State Building, this was an ‘unauthorised incident’ and said that the building already offers a $1000 package called ‘Happily Ever Empire Building Proposal’, for people who want to propose from the observation deck.

Dmitriy Nikolau, Nikolau’s father, who is a Russian circus artist defended his daughter's actions saying that “it is normal to climb up a roof in any country, including the United States, according to any constitution.”