A Russian couple known for their extreme rooftop stunts were arrested after climbing to the top of the Empire State Building’s antenna spire in New York City and unfurling a banner calling for world peace before staging a dramatic marriage proposal.
Adventure artists Angela Nikolau and Vanya Beerkus scaled the iconic skyscraper on Wednesday, reaching the antenna near its illuminated red beacon, approximately 1,454 feet (443 metres) above the streets of Manhattan.
Dressed in matching black sleeveless outfits, the pair documented the dangerous climb on social media as they displayed a large black banner bearing the message: “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.”
Shortly after 12.30pm, aerial footage captured the couple descending to a lower platform on the antenna, where Beerkus got down on one knee and proposed to Nikolau.
She accepted the proposal before the pair embraced and kissed, with Nikolau later photographing her engagement ring for social media.
The couple are well known in the world of “rooftopping” — a high-risk activity involving climbing skyscrapers without safety equipment. Their adventures were featured in the 2024 documentary “Skywalkers: A Love Story.”
The New York Police Department (NYPD) shut down surrounding streets before safely taking both climbers into custody without incident. Authorities said they are expected to face charges, although officials have yet to announce the specific offences.
It remains unclear how the couple managed to gain access to the highly secured antenna.
Security at the Empire State Building has been significantly tightened since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Visitors are only permitted to access the enclosed observation deck on the building’s 102nd floor, while the 200-foot (61-metre) antenna above it remains strictly off-limits.
An Empire State Building spokesperson described the stunt as an “unauthorised incident” and jokingly suggested the couple could have chosen the building’s US$1,000 “Happily Ever Empire Proposal Package” instead.
Nikolau’s father, Russian circus performer Dmitriy Nikolau, defended his daughter’s actions, saying climbing rooftops was “normal” for their family.
Asked whether he was concerned about her arrest, he replied: “Why should I be worried? I climb up roofs myself.”
