Two Russian thrill-seekers were arraigned in New York on charges stemming from an unauthorized climb to the top of the Empire State Building's spire, where they staged what appeared to be an engagement photo shoot.
Angela Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, scaled the Manhattan landmark on Wednesday and unfurled a banner reading "When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace" near the 1,454-foot summit. The pair, dressed in black, kissed for photographs before police arrested them.
They appeared in court Thursday facing a seven-count indictment that included reckless endangerment, burglary, criminal trespass, criminal mischief, criminal tampering, disorderly conduct, and possession of burglar's tools. Nikolau and Kuznetsov are Russian nationals with an address in New Jersey.
The pair are prominent figures in the underground world of "rooftopping," an illegal activity in which climbers scale tall buildings to capture dramatic imagery or make statements. Kuznetsov's Instagram account has more than 500,000 followers, while Nikolau's has 1.8 million.
Officials said the climbers have staged similar stunts in China and California. This week's stunt was monitored by an NYPD drone and helicopter, with arrest made by the department's emergency service unit, a specialized team trained for high-altitude rescues.
Investigators are still determining how the pair bypassed security to reach the upper portions of the 92-year-old building. The Empire State Building's owners acknowledged the stunt in a statement, noting that their observation deck provides a legitimate venue for engagement photos.
"It is to be emphasized that the Empire State Building Observation Deck, atop the World's Most Famous Building in the center of New York City, does offer a practical way for the most memorable marriage proposals," the statement read.
Author James Rodriguez: "This stunt captures the reckless gamble rooftoppers take for viral fame, and authorities were right to shut it down fast."
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