Masked couple scales New York's Empire State Building in daring marriage proposal stunt
NEW YORK — A couple who managed to climb the massive antenna mast atop the Empire State Building, one of New York's most iconic landmarks, unfurled a banner bearing a message of love after a marriage proposal.
The daring stunt has led New York City police to arrest the duo as they quickly became the focus of attention on social media.
Video shot by a US news helicopter on Wednesday showed two people, dressed in black, appearing to kiss on top of the iconic skyscraper’s main antenna.
According to the footage, the man proposed to his girlfriend while the woman was seen repeatedly photographing the engagement ring on her finger with her phone.
They unfurled a banner with words expressing love from their perch, roughly 443 meters (1,454 feet) above the ground.
Written in white paint on a black background, it read: “When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace.”
It was not clear how the pair gained access to the antenna, which is located well above the publicly accessible areas in the 102-story building.
Police body camera footage, released later in the day, showed an officer sent to retrieve the daredevils.
“How are you doing?” he asked the couple as he ascended a ladder, breathing heavily. While the couple’s response cannot be heard over the wind, the officer proceeded to tell them, “Well, you can’t be up here.”
A helicopter belonging to the New York Police Department was also seen monitoring the incident from the air.
While on the antenna mast, the couple displayed a banner
The couple later climbed down by holding onto the metal railings and reached the observation balcony below. They were subsequently taken into custody for illegally accessing the building's antenna tower.
The couple have since been identified as Russian nationals Vanya Beerkus and Angela Nikolau. The couple appeared in a 2024 Netflix documentary called Skywalkers: A Love Story, which chronicled their shared interest in “rooftopping”, an urban sport that involves scaling city buildings.
Angela’s father, Dmitriy Nikolau, reportedly had prior knowledge of his daughter’s climb.
“Why should I be worried? I climb up roofs myself,” Dmitriy, identified as a Russian circus artist, told the news agency Reuters when asked about the stunt.
He told the news outlet, “I think it is normal to climb up a roof in any country, including the United States, according to any constitution.”
In a statement, an Empire State Building spokesperson described Wednesday’s climb as an “unauthorized incident”, suggesting the couple should have instead bought the building’s $1,000 “Happily Ever Empire Proposal Package” to mark their engagement.
