A Russian couple have been arrested after scaling the Empire State Building in New York. Upon reaching the top, the couple unfurled a banner with a powerful message before the man appeared to pull out a ring and proposed to the woman while the police officers and news helicopters watched in disbelief.
The pair have since been identified as Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus, a Russian couple who have scaled multiple skyscrapers around the world together. Both were dressed in black complete with black masks covering their face as they scaled the iconic NYC building. When they reached the top they unfurled a large banner that read, “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.”
Neither Nikolau nor Beerkus appeared to be wearing any sort of safety harness. Sky News reports that they spent several minutes perched on the antenna atop the 1,454ft building before descending to a slightly lower part. It is here that Ivan Beerkus got down on one knee in what looked to be a proposal.
Footage of the moment has since been shared online where it has quickly gone viral after being met with mixed reactions by netizens.
BREAKING: Two people have climbed to the top of the Empire State Building in New York City, holding a banner from the skyscraper's antenna reading, "When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace."
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 1, 2026
As of now it's unclear how the pair reached the top of the… pic.twitter.com/rUPZ6nc1eK
“Well that went there for a memorable wedding proposal. Talk about going all out for love.” Wrote one person on X, evidently impressed by the couple’s grand gesture. Others questioned the safety of the whole stunt, it certainly could have ended much worse had they taken a single misplaced step.
Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus are arrested
Police body cam footage of the couple’s arrest shows Nikolau and Beerkus being greeted by officers who told them “you can’t be up here.” According to Sky News, an off-camera voice can be heard saying what sounds like, “We are engaged.”
More footage shows the couple being escorted out of the police department in handcuffs. Online people criticized the justice system for spreading “a message of love.” Some questioned why Epstein associates weren’t in prison and yet these two were immediately put in the back of a police car.
A spokesperson for the building said in a statement that the stunt was “unauthorized” but that the couple had not endangered anyone in the skyscraper. It’s unclear how they were able to gain access to the building in the first place.
This isn’t the first time the building has been scaled. As a matter of fact, even Hollywood star Jared Leto gave it a crack back in 2023 to promote his band, 30 Second to Mars’ world tour. Leto climbed from the 86th floor to the base of the antenna.
