Web desk(National Times)- A Russian daredevil couple climbed to the top of the Empire State Building\u2019s towering spire in New York City on Wednesday to \u200cunfurl a large banner urging world peace in what appeared to be an elaborate marriage proposal that ended in their arrests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dressed in sleeveless black outfits and documenting their time in the sky on social media, Angela Nikolau and Vanya Beerkus hung onto the landmark skyscraper\u2019s antenna spire near the glowing red light at its \u200btip some 1,454 feet above the sidewalks of midtown Manhattan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They held a black banner with a message in all-capital white \u200bletters that flapped in the wind that said: \u201cWhen the power of love beats the love of power the world \u2060knows peace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A little after 12:30pm, the pair could be seen on aerial video feeds slowly climbing down to a slightly \u200blower platform in the antenna structure, where they paused. Beerkus then appeared to propose to Nikolau, getting down on one knee, before the \u200bcouple embraced and kissed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nikolau, wearing her trademark Catwoman-style headgear, could then be seen admiring her hand and taking photographs of her ring to share on Instagram. The couple and their adventures in what has become known as \u201crooftopping\u201d were the subject of a 2024 Netflix documentary called \u2018Skywalkers: A Love Story\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The New York Police Department (NYPD) closed down streets around the \u200bbuilding and later said they had taken the couple into custody \u201cwithout incident.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The couple, identified by police as Angelina Nikolau, 33, and Ivan \u200bKuznetsov, 32, were charged with several offenses, including burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal tampering, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, according to an NYPD spokesperson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The \u200cspokesperson said \u2060he did not know whether the couple were still in custody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was not clear how they gained access to the antenna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
New York landmarks, including the Empire State Building, have had heightened security since the World Trade Centre attacks in 2001<\/a>. The climb came as the heatwave-gripped city is already in high spirits, bracing for the expected wedding of musician Taylor Swift and National Football League star Travis Kelce, and crowds for the July 4 \u200bcelebration of the 250th anniversary of \u200bthe Declaration of Independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Father of climber says \u2018it\u2019s normal\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Art Deco tower, for decades the tallest building in the world before it was surpassed in the 1960s, sells tickets to tourists who want to ascend to an enclosed observation deck on its \u200b102nd floor. It does not allow visitors to go higher still by dangerously clambering up the 200-foot \u200bantenna spire above \u2060it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An Empire State Building spokesperson described Wednesday\u2019s climb as an \u201cunauthorised incident\u201d in a statement that suggested that the couple should have instead opted for the building\u2019s $1,000 \u201cHappily Ever Empire Proposal Package\u201d to rent out the observation deck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nikolau\u2019s acrobatics run in the family, and her father, the Russian circus artist Dmitriy Nikolau, \u2060was aware \u200bof his daughter\u2019s climb when answering a call from a reporter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think it is \u200bnormal to climb up a roof in any country, including the United States, according to any constitution,\u201d he said. Asked if he was worried about her following her arrest, he said: \u201cWhy \u200bshould I be worried? I climb up roofs myself.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Web desk(National Times)- A Russian daredevil couple climbed to the top of the Empire State Building\u2019s towering spire in New York City on Wednesday to \u200cunfurl a large banner urging world peace in what appeared to be an elaborate marriage proposal that ended in their arrests. Dressed in sleeveless black outfits and documenting their time […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":128575,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n
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