A Russian couple stunned tourists in New York City on Wednesday after climbing the Empire State Building’s transmission tower, unfurling a peace banner and ending the high risk stunt with a marriage proposal before police arrested them.
Angela Nikolau and Vanya Beerkus, both well known urban climbers, scaled the transmission tower above the Empire State Building’s 1,454 foot structure. Dressed in sleeveless black outfits and face coverings, they documented the climb on social media while standing on the narrow antenna hundreds of feet above the city.
Near the glowing red warning light at the top of the tower, the pair displayed a large black banner carrying the message: “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.”
The quote is often incorrectly credited to legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Historians attribute the original saying to 19th century British politician William Gladstone. The wording on the banner slightly modified Gladstone’s original statement.
🚨 BREAKING: 2 people have climbed the Empire State Building in New York to fly a flag. The flag reads “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.” pic.twitter.com/YrIudqf9Lx
— FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) July 1, 2026
Witnesses watched the climbers move around the restricted tower shortly after noon while visitors filled the building’s observation deck. Around 12:30 p.m. local time, the pair climbed down to a lower platform, where the dramatic stunt took another unexpected turn.
Proposal follows dangerous rooftop stunt
After reaching the platform near the base of the spire, Beerkus dropped to one knee and proposed to Nikolau. She accepted the proposal before the couple embraced and kissed high above the Manhattan skyline.
Nikolau later removed her face covering as they celebrated their engagement. She also shared photos of the proposal, including images of her engagement ring, on Instagram.
The couple are no strangers to dangerous rooftop climbs. Nikolau describes herself on social media as a “neoartist exploring identity, fear & freedom.”
The pair previously climbed San Francisco’s Bay Bridge and Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, the world’s second tallest building. They also appeared in the 2024 Netflix documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story, which follows their lives as urban climbers.
Police arrest pair as safety concerns grow
Police later took the couple into custody without incident. The New York Police Department said they face unspecified charges. Authorities have not explained how they accessed the restricted transmission tower.
The incident forced officials to clear the observation deck while nearby streets closed temporarily. An NYPD helicopter also monitored the situation from above.
An Empire State Building spokesperson described the climb as an “unauthorised incident.” The spokesperson also noted that the landmark already offers a $1,000 “Happily Ever Empire Proposal Package” for couples wishing to propose from its observation deck.
Former CBS News New York chief engineer John Cleary warned that the stunt carried serious risks. He said the tower contains active television and radio transmission equipment with dangerous levels of electrical energy. Cleary added that trained technicians follow strict safety procedures before working on the structure and noted that the couple appeared to climb without safety harnesses.
Nikolau’s father, Russian circus artist Dmitriy Nikolau, defended his daughter’s actions after learning of her arrest.
“I think it is normal to climb up a roof in any country, including the United States, according to any constitution,” he said.
When asked whether he worried about his daughter, he replied: “Why should I be worried? I climb up roofs myself.”
The Empire State Building has witnessed other famous climbs, including Jared Leto’s authorised ascent in 2023 and Alain Robert’s unauthorised climb in 1994. However, Wednesday’s combination of a peace message, marriage proposal and arrest made it one of the landmark’s most unusual incidents in recent years.
