Empire State Building climbers arrested after proposal stunt on antenna

Two individuals were taken into police custody on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, following an unauthorized climb to the pinnacle of the Empire State Building in New York City. The pair, dressed in black and wearing masks, ascended to the top of the skyscraper’s antenna—which stands 1,454 feet above midtown Manhattan—to unfurl a banner reading, when the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace.

The incident began at midday on Wednesday, drawing a significant response from the New York City Police Department’s Emergency Services Unit. Approximately 40 officers arrived at the scene to manage the situation, directing traffic and cordoning off the building’s entrance on Fifth Avenue between West 33rd and 34th streets. Large crowds of pedestrians gathered on the surrounding street corners to watch the event as it unfolded. News helicopter footage captured the pair balancing on the narrow latticework of the spire without the use of visible safety tethers.

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Following their descent from the highest point of the antenna, the two individuals reached a lower platform just after 12:30 p.m. On this ledge, one member of the pair retrieved an engagement ring from a backpack and knelt to propose. The two embraced and were seen taking photographs of the ring before being taken into custody by police shortly after 1:00 p.m. The pair later identified themselves on social media as Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus, known for their appearance on the Netflix production Skywalkers: A Love Story.

The stunt has prompted scrutiny regarding building security. The Empire State Building, a 102-story structure, typically enforces strict visitor screening, prohibiting items such as large packages, sports equipment, costumes, and masks. Employees working within the tower expressed confusion regarding how the climbers bypassed these measures to reach an area far above the public observation decks. Jessica Kaplan, an employee at a firm within the building, stated, I just can’t believe they made it through security.

In a statement regarding the security breach, an Empire State Building spokesperson maintained that the incident was unauthorized and emphasized that there was at no time danger to tenants, visitors, and Empire State Building Observation Deck guests. The management did not provide details on how the climbers accessed the antenna, nor did they address whether there were interactions with security personnel during the ascent. While the building's management highlighted the observation deck as a destination for marriage proposals, they remained silent on the security lapse that allowed this specific event to occur.

For onlookers, the event provided an unexpected spectacle. Jonathan Roman, a tourist from Glasgow visiting with his 15-year-old son, arrived to find his access to the observation deck blocked due to the police response. It’s crazy — it’s like being in the movies, he remarked, noting that he viewed the incident as perhaps more memorable than the planned observation deck visit.

While the vast majority of climbs at the site are unauthorized, the antenna has been scaled in the past. In 2023, musician and actor Jared Leto was permitted to ascend to the base of the antenna from the 86th floor as a promotional exercise. Wednesday's event stands in contrast to such sanctioned activities, as police confirmed that criminal charges are pending for the two individuals involved. No injuries were reported during the climb and the subsequent arrest.