For a few minutes Wednesday afternoon, two masked figures in matching black outfits stood atop the Empire State Building’s antenna, framed against the Manhattan skyline nearly 1,454 feet above the street.
Cameras and news helicopters caught the scene from below: two silhouettes on the spire of the world’s most famous building, unfurling a banner that read “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace,” holding their ground high above the city, the kind of image more associated with a comic book splash page than a Wednesday afternoon in Midtown.
The costumed climb turned out to be real life. Angelina Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, the Russian-born couple who scaled the Empire State Building’s spire and appeared to get engaged during their descent Wednesday, were arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court Thursday morning and granted supervised release, according to CNN.
The pair, who live in East Orange, New Jersey, appeared before the judge wearing the same black outfits they wore during Wednesday’s climb, spending the first night of their engagement in separate holding cells. They did not enter a plea on charges including burglary, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief, according to ABC News. Their next court date is August 24.
Jason Krinsky, an attorney representing the couple, argued the Manhattan District Attorney’s office overreached with the charges. “They are trying to send a message,” Krinsky told reporters after the hearing.
Prosecutors described Nikolau and Kuznetsov in court as social media influencers who routinely engage in extreme risk-taking behavior, including breaking into restricted areas of commercial buildings and free-climbing skyscrapers, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. Kuznetsov, who also goes by Ivan Beerkus, later told the New York Police Department (NYPD) investigators he wanted to “do something special for his engagement,” prosecutors said in court.
A criminal complaint reviewed by ABC News alleges the pair entered the building as visitors on Wednesday, then hid inside the observatory complex after closing. Video showed Nikolau emerging from a floor hatch in the pre-dawn hours before the two maneuvered around a cable-locked gate and cut two locks on the 104th floor to reach the antenna, according to a law enforcement source cited by CNN.
The climb reached roughly 1,454 feet, and officers could not immediately approach the pair because the NYPD had to power down the broadcast antenna, which the complaint says emits high-frequency radio signals “powerful enough to cause harm to the human body,” for about 30 minutes before the department’s Emergency Service Unit could safely reach them.
Greg Sanfilippo, vice president of Doyle Security Services, said the couple’s access to the hatch suggested planning beforehand. “There was what we would call pre-observational surveillance,” Sanfilippo told ABC7 New York.
The couple unfurled a black banner near the antenna reading, “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace,” a line often attributed to Jimi Hendrix. Kuznetsov proposed to Nikolau on a platform below the spire during their descent, and she accepted.
An Empire State Building spokesperson said the situation never endangered the public.
“There was at no time danger to tenants, visitors and Empire State Building Observation Deck guests,” the spokesperson said, calling the observation deck “a practical way for the most memorable marriage proposals.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani had not issued a public statement on the incident as of Thursday. The stunt came during what CNN described as a packed New York summer, with the city already under heightened security around World Cup matches and preparing for a high-profile Madison Square Garden event, which is rumored to be Taylor Swift’s wedding to Travis Kelce.
Nikolau and Kuznetsov left court holding hands and kissed for cameras before entering the Chambers Street subway station.
“We love New York,” Kuznetsov told reporters.
The pair are longtime “rooftoppers” known for scaling skyscrapers without safety equipment, including Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, the world’s second-tallest building. They are subjects of the 2024 Netflix documentary “Skywalkers: A Love Story.” Netflix declined to comment on Wednesday but did promote the documentary on its socials as news of the couple’s climb unfolded.
