Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus arrested after Empire State Building stunt
Renowned rooftoppers Angela Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov were taken into custody after scaling the Empire State Building to stage an unauthorized marriage proposal.
Two internationally known daredevils are facing felony charges following a high-altitude marriage proposal that saw them scale the antenna spire of the Empire State Building. The incident, which drew police and required an emergency power-down of the building's broadcast equipment, has ignited a public debate over the line between extreme artistic expression and dangerous criminal activity.
Angela Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32—known to their social media following as Ivan Beerkus—were taken into custody by the New York Police Department Emergency Service Unit. Prosecutors allege the couple, who reside in East Orange, New Jersey, gained access to the restricted spire by allegedly breaking a lock on a maintenance door on the building’s 102nd floor. Law enforcement sources believe the pair had purchased tourist tickets the previous evening and hid within the landmark overnight, emerging around 5 a.m. The next morning.
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Once they reached the summit of the structure, approximately 1,454 feet above Midtown Manhattan, the couple unfurled a banner reading, When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.
Following the display, Kuznetsov appeared to propose to Nikolau on a lower ledge of the antenna, an act documented by their own recording equipment and captured by news helicopters circling the area. The pair were subsequently intercepted by police, who had waited for the building's broadcast antenna to be powered down to protect officers from high-frequency radio signals during the rescue.
The couple, who gained prominence for their rooftopping
stunts and were the subjects of the 2024 documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story, appeared at a Manhattan Criminal Court arraignment on Thursday. They face a series of charges, including felony burglary, reckless endangerment, and criminal mischief, as well as misdemeanor counts of criminal trespass, disorderly conduct, possession of burglary tools, and criminal tampering. If convicted on all counts, they could face up to seven years in prison.
Defense attorney Jason Krinsky argued against the severity of the charges, stating that building management had noted no risk to tenants or guests on the observation deck. It was a message of love,
Krinsky said via the New York Post. She didn’t say ‘no.’ So you gotta give him that.
The incident has drawn sharp criticism from safety experts and officials. Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe expressed concern that the high-profile nature of the stunt could encourage imitation. The danger here, the recklessness, is obvious and can’t be overstated,
McCabe noted via Mashable. In contrast, the Empire State Building’s management issued a statement emphasizing that while the climb was unauthorized, their observation deck remains a practical way for the most memorable marriage proposals.
This event is not the couple's first brush with the law regarding urban exploration. According to reporting from Yahoo News, the duo previously spent time in jail following an unauthorized climb of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. Their 2022 ascent of the Merdeka 118 tower in Malaysia also drew global attention, though they reportedly evaded arrest in that instance.
Under New York law, the couple was released without bail, as the specific charges filed do not currently permit the setting of monetary bail.
