The Empire State Building climbers who turned one of New York’s most famous landmarks into the backdrop for a marriage proposal are now facing a string of criminal charges. What was meant to be a romantic gesture broadcast to the world instead ended in handcuffs, after prosecutors revealed the couple allegedly broke through restricted areas of the tower before making their dizzying ascent.

A Proposal at 1,400 Feet

On Wednesday, Angela Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Beerkus, 32, illegally scaled the needle of the Empire State Building, climbing the broadcast antenna to a point roughly 1,400 to 1,500 feet above the streets of Manhattan. As news helicopters circled overhead, the pair unfurled a banner carrying a message about love and got engaged at the very top of the skyscraper.

The celebration was short-lived. Moments after the stunt, police moved in and arrested them.

The following day, both were arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on multiple counts, including burglary and reckless endangerment. According to court documents, Beerkus, listed under the name Ivan Kuznetsov, told officers he simply wanted to do something memorable for his engagement.

Not Their First Brush With Danger

For Nikolau and Beerkus, this heart-stopping climb was hardly a debut. The couple, originally from Russia and now living in East Orange, New Jersey, have built a reputation for illegally scaling tall structures across the globe, frequently documenting their exploits for a sizable social media audience.

Their story reached an even wider audience through a 2024 documentary titled “Skywalkers: A Love Story,” which chronicled both their relationship and their shared appetite for adrenaline and recognition. Climbing skyscrapers, it turns out, has long been central to how the pair define themselves as a couple.

Prosecutors Push Back Hard

Officials with the Manhattan district attorney’s office took a dim view of the stunt. They characterized the couple’s actions as extreme risk-taking that repeatedly endangered not only their own lives but also those of ordinary New Yorkers and the first responders who have to intervene.

The criminal complaint laid out several specific allegations:

• A lock on a security door located on the building’s 104th floor, which provides access to the broadcast antenna, had been broken.
• Repairing that damage is estimated to cost around $2,000, according to an investigator.
• After getting past the door, the couple climbed the antenna to their perilous perch near the summit.

The danger extended to the arrest itself. Officers from the New York Police Department’s Emergency Services Unit couldn’t immediately reach the couple. They were forced to wait about 30 minutes for the antenna to power down, because it emits high-frequency radio signals strong enough to injure the human body. Only once it was safe did officers scale the structure to bring the pair down.

A Defense Built on Love

Following their arraignment, the couple was granted supervised release and told to return to court in August.

Their attorney, Jason Krinsky, argued that his clients had been treated far too severely. In his view, the pair posed no threat to anyone other than themselves. He pointed out that even if one of them had slipped, a hexagonal platform situated below the antenna would have stopped a fall before it turned fatal.

Krinsky went further, suggesting the prosecution was trying to make an example out of the couple. He insisted the harsh charges were meant to send a message, and he framed the entire episode as an act of affection rather than aggression. This, he stressed, was about love, not hatred or violence.

Unrepentant and Hand-in-Hand

If the couple felt any regret, they didn’t show it. On Thursday, Nikolau and Beerkus walked out of court hand-in-hand, still dressed in the same black athleisure they’d worn during Wednesday’s climb.

Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Beerkus explained the meaning behind their banner, which read: “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.” He said the message reflected their deep belief in the strength of love.

He also confirmed that the engagement had indeed taken place at the apex of the Empire State Building, though the ring itself was, at least for the moment, in police custody.

A Spectacle to the Very End

True to their flair for the dramatic, the couple kept the show going even after leaving court. A crowd of reporters trailed them as they made their way toward the Chambers Street subway station. There, on the station steps, the pair paused and shared a long, theatrical kiss for the assembled cameras before disappearing below ground.

The incident raises familiar questions about the thin line between romantic spectacle and public endangerment. To their supporters and social media followers, Nikolau and Beerkus are fearless artists chasing love and beauty in the most extreme settings imaginable. To city officials and prosecutors, they represent a reckless pattern of behavior that puts lives at risk and drains public resources every time first responders are called in to manage the aftermath.

For now, the couple’s fate rests with the court, where they’ll return in August to answer for a proposal that soared to spectacular heights before crashing into the legal system. Whether their story ends as another chapter in their thrill-seeking legend or as a costly cautionary tale remains to be seen.