Two people were taken to police custody on Wednesday after they climbed to the top of the Empire State Building. The pair, a man and a woman in dark outfits and masks, unfurled a banner which said “When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace.” The man then appeared to get down on one knee and propose, according to NBC.
The New York Police Department spokesperson Delaney Kempner said the two made their way down to street level, where they were taken into custody by law enforcement.
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The police identified the climbers as Angelina Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov (aka Ivan Beerkus). They were charged with felony burglary, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief, as well as misdemeanor charges of possession of burglar’s tools, criminal tampering, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, an NYPD spokesperson said.
It is not clear how the duo ascended the building. They scaled a 200-foot spire atop the 1,250-foot skyscraper, the sixth-tallest building in the country. The couple was not injured during the adventure, according to the police.
Preliminary information indicates the pair got in through a hatch used for water tower maintenance on the 103rd floor of the building, law enforcement sources told CBS. While that level is not open to the public, the floor below it is. It remains unclear how they got from the 102nd to the 103rd floor.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Empire State Building said that “the unauthorized incident at the building has been resolved with the constructive and helpful coordination of the NYPD.”
“There was at no time danger to tenants, visitors, and Empire State Building Observation Deck guests,” the spokesperson added. “It is to be emphasized that the Empire State Building Observation Deck, atop the ‘World’s Most Famous Building’ in the center of New York City, does offer a practical way for the most memorable marriage proposals.”
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NYPD shared body camera footage of an officer climbing a caged ladder to speak to the couple.
“Hello, how are you doing?” he can be heard saying. “Can you just stay where you are? You can’t be up here.” Nikolau then raises her arms and says: “I’m OK.” Nikolau added that the two speak Russian.
The two climbers had also posted about the incident on social media. Nikolau shared a video showing a view from atop a small platform, and a photo showing Beerkus apparently popping the question.