Russian daredevils Vanya Beerkus and Angela Nikolau are seen as ambassadors of rooftopping, an unregulated climbing sport.
Published July 1, 2026
A protest stunt and apparent marriage proposal atop the Empire State Building led to the arrest of two people in New York City.
Video recorded by a US news helicopter on Wednesday showed two people, dressed in black, appearing to kiss atop the iconic skyscraper’s main antenna.
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They unfurled a banner with the words, “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world knows peace,” from their position, approximately 1,454 feet (443 meters) above the ground.
It was unclear how the pair accessed the antenna, which sits high above public access areas in the 102-story building.
Police body camera footage, released later that day, showed an officer sent to retrieve the daredevils.
“How are you?” he asked the couple as he climbed a staircase, breathing heavily. While the couple’s response couldn’t be heard over the wind, the officer proceeded to tell them, “Well, you can’t be up here.”
The arrested 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 chronicles their shared interest in “rooftopping,” an urban sport that involves climbing city buildings.
“Why should I worry? I climb rooftops myself,” Dmitriy Nikolau, Angela’s father, told Reuters news agency when asked about the stunt.
Dmitriy, whom Reuters identified as a Russian circus performer, allegedly had prior knowledge of his daughter’s promotion.
He told the media outlet: “I think it is normal to climb on a ‘roof’ in any country, including the United States, under any constitution.”
In a statement, an Empire State Building spokesperson described Wednesday’s climb as an “unauthorized incident,” suggesting the couple should have purchased the building’s $1,000 “Happily Ever Empire Proposal Package” to commemorate their engagement.
