Russian extreme sports enthusiasts climbed to the top of the Empire State Building and were detained
In New York, a couple of well-known extreme sports enthusiasts illegally climbed to the top of the Empire State Building, unfurled a banner with a quote about peace, and after coming down, the man proposed to his girlfriend. Both were detained by police and charged with a number of criminal offenses.
The incident occurred on the afternoon of July 2. Russian rooftop climbers Angela Nikolaou and Ivan Kuznetsov, also known by the pseudonym Ivan Beerkus, reached the top of the Empire State Building’s spire, where they remained for several minutes at a height of over 440 meters above the ground.
At the spire, they unfurled a black banner reading: “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace”—a phrase often associated with musician Jimi Hendrix.
After descending, Kuznetsov, according to eyewitnesses, proposed to his long-time partner. Shortly thereafter, both were detained by New York City police officers.
According to law enforcement, the climbers are charged with several offenses, including trespassing, endangering others, property damage, disorderly conduct, unlawful interference with the operation of a facility, and possession of burglary tools.
During the operation, police dispatched a helicopter to the scene, and the Empire State Building’s observation deck was temporarily evacuated. It later resumed operations. The banner was removed.
A spokesperson for the Empire State Building stated that the incident posed no threat to visitors or tenants of the building. At the same time, he wryly noted that the skyscraper’s observation deck is a much safer place for marriage proposals.
Nikolaou and Kuznetsov gained fame for their dangerous climbs up the world’s tallest buildings. In 2024, they were featured in the Netflix documentary *Skywalkers: A Love Story*, which chronicled their climb of the Merdeka 118 skyscraper in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur. On their social media accounts, the couple regularly posts photos and videos from extreme heights, and this time they also shared footage of their climb up the Empire State Building and the moment of the proposal.
Source: ABC News
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