A romantic gesture 1,454 feet above Manhattan turned into a police operation on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, after a Russian daredevil couple scaled the Empire State Building’s antenna for a high-altitude marriage proposal.
Angela Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Beerkus, 32, illegally climbed the building’s needle without safety tethers. At the tip, they unfurled a black banner reading, “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace”, kissed, and posed for photos.
On a lower ledge, Beerkus got down on one knee and proposed. Nikolau said yes and showed off an engagement ring.
NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit intercepted them during the descent. Bodycam footage captured an officer saying, “Well, you can’t be up here,” to which a climber replied, “We are engaged”.
Both were arrested and charged with burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, possession of burglar’s tools, criminal tampering, and disorderly conduct. The building had to shut down its high-frequency antenna transmission during the rescue to avoid radio wave exposure.
The couple are known “rooftoppers” featured in the 2024 Netflix documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story. They’ve previously scaled Malaysia’s 2,000-ft Merdeka 118 in 2022.
Empire State Building management called it an “unauthorised incident” but said no visitors were in danger. A spokesperson even joked they could’ve used the $1,000 “Happily Ever Empire Proposal Package” instead.
Nikolau and Beerkus now reside in East Orange, New Jersey, and are scheduled for court at a later date.
