Camille Naredo

Article (news)

Empire State Building climbers

Reuters Wires

A Russian daredevil couple who climbed to the top of the Empire State Building&#x27;s towering spire in New York City shared a kiss outside court following a hearing Monday (August 24).On July 1, Angelina &quot;Angela&quot; Nikolau and Vanya &quot;Ivan&quot; Beerkus unfurled a large banner urging world peace in what appeared to be an elaborate marriage proposal that ended in their arrests.Dressed in sleeveless black outfits and documenting their time in the sky on social media, the couple clung to the landmark skyscraper&#x27;s antenna spire near the glowing red light at its tip, some 1,454 feet (443 meters) above the sidewalks of Midtown Manhattan.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/7/2/pair-climb-to-top-of-empire-state-building-for-apparent-proposal-0905">READ: Pair climb to top of Empire State Building for apparent proposal</a></div>They held a black banner that flapped in the wind, bearing a message in white capital letters that said: &quot;When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.&quot;Shortly after 12:30 p.m., the pair could be seen on aerial video feeds slowly climbing down to a slightly lower platform in the antenna structure, where they paused. Beerkus then appeared to propose to Nikolau, getting down on one knee before the couple embraced and kissed.Nikolau, wearing her trademark Catwoman-style headgear, could then be seen admiring her hand and taking photographs of her ring to share on Instagram. The couple and their adventures in what has become known as &quot;rooftopping&quot; were the subject of the 2024 Netflix documentary &quot;Skywalkers: A Love Story.&quot;The New York City Police Department closed streets around the building and later said officers had taken the couple into custody &quot;without incident.&quot;Police identified the couple by their legal names as Angelina Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32. They were charged with several offenses, including burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal tampering, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, according to an NYPD spokesperson.<div>(Camera: Aleksandra Michalska, Andrew Hofstetter; Writing: Jonathan Allen and Maria Tsvetkova; Production &amp; Editing: Alexandra Sarabia)</div>

A Russian daredevil couple who climbed to the top of the Empire State Building's towering spire in New York City shared a kiss outside court following a hearing Monday (August 24).

A Russian daredevil couple who climbed to the top of the Empire State Building's towering spire in New York City shared a kiss outside court following a hearing Monday (August 24).

Daredevil Empire State Building climbers share kiss outside of court after hearing

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Daredevil Empire State Building climbers share kiss outside of court after hearing

Reuters

Published August 24, 2026 11:14 PM PHT

Read More:

Empire State Building

Angelina Nikolau

Vanya Beerkus

New York City

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