Two masked figures clung to the lightning rod of the Empire State Building on Wednesday, 1,454ft above midtown Manhattan, as they unfurled a black banner that read: “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.”
For at least ten minutes, the pair – later identified as Russian rooftoppers Angela Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Beerkus, 32 – remained at the very top of the radio and television transmission tower, well above the public observation deck. A New York police department drone and helicopter circled the scene as onlookers below watched the hair-raising stunt.
“Two Russian rooftoppers arrested after climbing Empire State Building, unfurling a peace banner, and staging an engagement atop the spire.”
Shortly after 12.30pm local time, they climbed down to a lower platform on the antenna structure. There, Beerkus dropped to one knee in an apparent marriage proposal. Nikolau removed her mask, and the two embraced and kissed.
The couple are stars of the 2024 Netflix documentary *Skywalkers: A Love Story*, which follows their illegal climbs of skyscrapers and bridges around the world. Nikolau documented the ascent on Instagram, posting a video from the top and tagging Beerkus. One post, apparently from an assistant, read: “Currently at the Empire State Building, you can watch on the city webcam.” A subsequent photo showed what appeared to be an engagement ring on her hand.
Police arrested the pair after they descended. No injuries were reported, and charges have yet to be announced. The NYPD recovered the banner and warned of street closures near Fifth Avenue and 34th Street.
The observation deck was cleared shortly after midday as tourists scrambled to glimpse the climbers. The Empire State Building’s spire, adding to the iconic 1931 skyscraper, reaches 1,454ft – a height that made it the world’s tallest building for four decades.