Empire State Building Climbers Taken Into Custody

Two people scaled the restricted antenna structure of the Empire State Building in Midtown Manhattan at around noon on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, displayed a peace banner near the 1,454-foot pinnacle, appeared to become engaged on the way down, and were taken into NYPD custody around 1 p.m., with no injuries reported among the climbers, responding officers, or the public below.

The pair are publicly known as Angela Nikolau, reported by law enforcement sources to be 33, and Ivan "Vanya" Beerkus, reported to be 32, the Russian rooftoppers featured in the 2024 Netflix documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story. Law enforcement sources identified them to CBS New York and NBC New York under the names Angelina Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov, with Kuznetsov described as the person known online as Beerkus. No official charging document or identity record had been made public as of the latest information reviewed on July 2, 2026.

What Happened Above Midtown

Dressed in black clothing and wearing masks, the pair accessed the metal transmission structure that rises above the 102nd-floor level, the highest public point in the building, at 1,250 feet. Investigators were still working to establish the exact route as of July 2, 2026. Preliminary law-enforcement accounts pointed to a maintenance hatch above the 102nd floor, though CBS and WABC reported conflicting floor numbers and no official reconstruction had been confirmed. From that point they climbed the approximately 200-foot antenna, reaching the vicinity of the building's official pinnacle at 1,454 feet without any visible safety tether, according to the Associated Press and aerial footage from multiple television news crews.

Shortly after reaching the upper structure, they unfurled a large black banner with white lettering. According to the Associated Press, the banner read: "When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace." The phrase is widely attributed online to Jimi Hendrix, though no primary source ties it to him. A similar line has also been linked to 19th-century British politician William E. Gladstone, but that attribution rests on a secondary publication from 1948, long after his death. The authorship remains disputed.

At around 12:30 p.m., the pair began descending. On a lower platform, Beerkus dropped to one knee and appeared to present a ring. Nikolau appeared to accept, slipped the ring on and the two embraced. The moment was captured by news helicopters circling the building and shortly afterward appeared in posts on Nikolau's public Instagram account.

The NYPD Response

NYPD's Emergency Service Unit deployed to the scene after 911 calls came in around noon. According to CNN, two ESU officers harnessed themselves and climbed four separate ladders to reach the pair at the top of the spire. Body-camera footage released by Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch captured one officer addressing the pair. "Stay where you are," the officer said, then: "How are you doing? You can't be up here." CNN reported that the woman responded in Russian.

Both climbers were escorted down and taken into custody around 1 p.m. Nearby streets, including sections around 34th Street and Fifth Avenue, were temporarily restricted during the response. The observation deck was cleared while the incident was active and later reopened.

NYPD officials confirmed that charges including reckless endangerment and criminal trespass were under consideration, according to Gothamist, but no formal charging document had been publicly filed at the time of publication. Investigators were also reviewing how the pair accessed the restricted structure and were looking into a third person connected to a social media account documenting the climb, though no further details on that individual were publicly available.

Under New York City Administrative Code §10-167, climbing the exterior of any structure taller than 50 feet without the owner's authorization is a Class A misdemeanor, carrying a maximum of one year in jail, a fine of $1,000, or both. The Empire State Building spokesperson said in a statement carried by CBS New York that the unauthorized incident had been "resolved with the constructive and helpful coordination of the NYPD" and that "there was at no time danger to tenants, visitors, and Empire State Building Observation Deck guests."

Who Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus Are

The two built their following around what is known as "rooftopping", climbing skyscrapers, cranes, and unfinished towers across Europe and Asia, typically without permits or visible safety equipment. In the 2024 Netflix documentary, Beerkus acknowledges the legal reality directly: "We're not vandals," Nikolau says in the film. "Although technically, we are criminals," he responds.

Their most significant documented ascent before Wednesday was Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, the central climb of Skywalkers: A Love Story. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat ranks Merdeka 118 as the world's second-tallest completed building at 679 metres (2,227 feet). The documentary drew from more than 200 hours of footage gathered across seven years and six countries, according to Netflix's own promotional material.

Neither Nikolau nor Beerkus had a known criminal history in New York City, law enforcement sources told NBC New York. They were reported by police sources to live in East Orange, New Jersey, a detail not independently verified through public records.

The Empire State Building has its own authorized proposal package. Its official Happily Ever Empire package is listed at $1,000 per couple and takes place on the 86th-floor observation deck. A building spokesperson, in remarks shared with multiple outlets, noted that the deck "does offer a practical way for the most memorable marriage proposals."

The Building and the Precedent

The Empire State Building at 20 West 34th Street in Manhattan has 102 floors and stands 1,454 feet to its pinnacle, with its top-floor roof level at 1,250 feet, making the antenna structure above it approximately 204 feet of exposed metal climbing. The building's official facts page ranks it as the sixth-tallest building in the United States.

Wednesday's incident was not the first time someone reached the building's high point. In 2023, actor Jared Leto climbed part of the structure for a promotional event tied to a 30 Seconds to Mars tour, with the building's explicit permission, as the Associated Press confirmed at the time.

Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, speaking to CNN after the arrests, placed the incident in the context of security precedent. "They are going to have to do whatever they can to see that these people are prosecuted for any appropriate charges because they cannot take the chance that others will see this and decide to also try it," McCabe said. "The last thing that people who are responsible for the Empire State Building want is to turn this place into a target for that sort of activity, because ultimately it will end in some sort of tragedy. The danger here, the recklessness, is obvious and can't be overstated," he added.

As of July 2, 2026, the NYPD investigation into how Nikolau and Beerkus accessed the restricted area remained open, and no formal charges had been publicly filed.