2 climb to top of Empire State Building, fly banner proclaiming 'power of love'

The NYPD arrested and charged a New Jersey couple after they climbed to the top of the antenna of the Empire State Building Wednesday afternoon and unfurled a black banner with white print that read: "When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace."

The man and woman, identified by the NYPD as Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, known professionally as Ivan Beerkus, and Angelina Nikolau, 33, both of East Orange, New Jersey, were each dressed in black and wearing face coverings. The pair kissed atop the tower, and Kuznetsov appeared to propose to Nikolau — upstaging, for a moment, talk of the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce wedding event reportedly slated for Friday at Madison Square Garden.

On social media, the couple, daredevils originally from Russia, is known for posting selfies kissing atop skyscrapers around the world.

They were the subjects of a 2024 Netflix documentary, "Skywalkers: A Love Story."

The NYPD said the pair ascended the tower at about noon and descended at about 12:35 p.m.

Shortly before 1 p.m., the two went out of sight, and it appeared an officer wearing a blue helmet was on the same landing as them. Several NYPD vehicles waited at street level as officers drove the couple away at about 1:15 p.m.

Kuznetsov and Nikolau were each charged late Wednesday with burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, violation of local law, possession of burglar's tools, criminal tampering, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, according to an NYPD news release.

In an earlier statement, the department said: "Two unknown individuals were observed on the antenna of the Empire State Building located [at] 20 West 34 Street, within the confines of Midtown South Precinct. NYPD's Emergency Services Unit responded. Two individuals were taken into custody without incident. There are no reported injuries. Charges are pending, and the investigation remains ongoing."

The entire episode unfolded as ticket sales for the observatory decks continued downstairs and as a mix of tourists, office workers, lunch-goers and others on the streets below craned their necks to gawk at the only-in-New-York spectacle unfolding skyward.

Among the spectators was finance worker Erika Atwood, 26, of the West Village, who was walking around figuring out what to get for lunch. She saw news of the episode spreading on social media and others taking pictures on the street. She went toward the crowds and the spectacle.

"It's entertaining," Atwood said. "It feels like a superhero movie when they're up in the buildings and no one knows what's going on. Yeah, it's been interesting."

She lamented: "Now I have to run back to a meeting."

The antenna on the iconic midtown Manhattan skyscraper soars 204 feet above the 102nd floor observation deck, 1,454 feet above New York City. It features an antenna system that can broadcast more than 1½ dozen FM radio and digital television stations at the same time.

Once, the tallest building in the world, the Empire State Building is now eclipsed by other buildings and structures scaled by the couple.

Those include summits of the 2,227-foot Merdeka 118 tower in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Goldin Finance 117 in Tianjin, China.

The pair also have summitted the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, according to their online bios.

The two have not climbed the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which is 2,722 feet tall.

The "Skywalkers" documentary featuring Nikolau and Kuznetsov premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, and subsequently Netflix acquired distribution rights. The film released in IMAX theaters with a debut on Netflix on July 19, 2024.

An Empire State Building spokesperson in a statement said: "The unauthorized incident at the building has been resolved with the constructive and helpful coordination of the NYPD. There was at no time danger to tenants, visitors, and Empire State Building Observation Deck guests."

The spokesperson, Brock Talbot, had a message for couples as well.

"It is to be emphasized that the Empire State Building Observation Deck, atop the World's Most Famous Building in the center of New York City, does offer a practical way for the most memorable marriage proposals," Talbot said.

He shared a link to the Empire State Building's proposal package, priced at $1,000 per couple.

Newsday's Nicholas Grasso contributed to this story.