Two people scaled the Empire State Building to its antenna spire Wednesday afternoon, unfurled a banner about peace, and staged an apparent engagement ceremony before being arrested by New York police.
The pair, both dressed in black and appearing to be masked, climbed well above the public observation decks to reach the 1,454-foot landmark's pinnacle. They deployed a large black banner reading: "When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace."
Police deployed a helicopter and drone to monitor the stunt unfolding above midtown Manhattan. Spectators below watched as one person descended to a lower platform on the structure, dropped to one knee, and the two embraced and kissed shortly after 12:30 pm.
The individuals have not been officially identified by police, but social media posts and photos suggest they are Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus, known in extreme sports circles as "rooftoppers" who have performed similar high-altitude stunts across the globe from Tianjin to Los Angeles.
Nikolau posted live updates to Instagram during the climb, including photos from the spire showing the apparent proposal and what appeared to be an engagement ring. Additional images showed the couple's hands clasped against the Manhattan skyline far below.
The pair gained wider recognition through the 2024 Netflix documentary "Skywalkers: A Love Story," which chronicles their romance and death-defying exploits on skyscrapers and bridges worldwide. Their social media profiles display dozens of photos and videos from similar climbs on high-rises around the world.
Police recovered the banner at the scene. No injuries were reported. The NYPD imposed street closures around 5th Avenue and 34th Street as emergency personnel responded to the incident. As of Wednesday evening, charges had not been announced.
Author James Rodriguez: "This stunt pulled off exactly what it was designed to do: grab headlines and broadcast a message to millions. But scaling a historic landmark without permission isn't a victimless publicity play, and arresting them is the only response authorities could make."
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