Masked Couple Climbs To TOP of Empire State Building — Man Proposes; Pair Arrested

UPDATE 2: After the viral stunt exploded across social media, the pair is now facing a long list of felony charges, including burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal trespass, possession of burglar's tools, as well as several other offenses.

A Manhattan Criminal Court Judge granted the Empire State Building climbers a supervised release on Thursday (2nd July, 2026) during their Court appearance. The couple, who did not enter a plea, appeared in Court wearing the same black outfits they had on during their stunt on Wednesday, minus their masks.



Photos: Bing Guan/Reuters.

Their next Court appearance is scheduled for 24th August, 2026. The pair later shared a massive kiss before descending the subway stairs.

In what has become known as “rooftopping,” Kuznetsov and Nikolau were the subject of a 2024 Netflix documentary called “Skywalkers: A Love Story.”


UPDATE: The Russian daredevil couple have been identified as 32-year-old Ivan Kuznetsov, also known as Ivan Beerkus, and 33-year-old Angelina Nikolau — both of East Orange, New Jersey. They were charged after prosecutors say they illegally accessed the Empire State Building before scaling the nearly 1,500-foot landmark. The New York Police Department (NYPD) closed down streets around the building and later said they had taken the couple into custody “without incident.”


According to reports, a man and woman climbed to the top of the Empire State Building’s transmission tower in New York City this afternoon (Wednesday 1st July, 2026). The masked individuals then unfurled a banner from the skyscraper’s antenna, which states, “When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace.”

Shortly after 12:30 PM, the pair appeared to take down the banner and climb down to a lower platform, where the man got down on one knee and proposed to the woman. After they kissed and hugged, the woman appeared to take selfies with her arm outstretched, ensuring the ring was in the shots.





(Click/Tap Images To Enlarge)

It is unknown at this time how the pair managed to reach the top of the 102-storey building.

Approximately forty (40) NYPD Police Officers arrived at the scene, working to get them down from the spire, which is 1,454 feet (443 meters) above the ground in midtown Manhattan.

Unfortunately for the just-engaged couple, they were eventually arrested and taken into Police custody, shortly after 1:00 PM.

More on this as it becomes available.

This is a developing story - refresh this page for updates.

[Source: Fox News/X]

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