A tourist visiting New York City says she saw a thrill-seeking couple slip through what looked like a restricted access point at the Empire State Building shortly before they climbed onto the landmark’s 1,454-foot antenna. The stunt, which ended with a marriage proposal high above Manhattan and the pair’s arrest, has raised fresh questions about security at one of the city’s most famous attractions.
Julie Morris told WABC-TV that she was on the 102nd-floor observation deck Wednesday when she noticed two people walk through a mesh gate into an area that appeared to lead toward the building’s antenna.
“Well, I was on the top, the very top, along come these two people. Opened the mesh. Assumed they worked there and nobody stopped them,” Morris said.
Authorities later identified the climbers as Angela Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, a Russian couple widely known for scaling skyscrapers and other high-rise structures around the world. The pair were featured in the 2024 Netflix documentary “Skywalkers: A Love Story,” which chronicles their unauthorized rooftop climbs.
Two people were spotted holding a banner on top of the Empire State Building in New York City on July 1, 2026. (WNYW)
Once atop the Empire State Building’s iconic transmitter, the couple unfurled a banner that read, “When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace.” They then embraced before Kuznetsov dropped to one knee and proposed to Nikolau.
Nikolau accepted the proposal and was seen admiring the ring before the two began making their way back down the spire. Officers with the NYPD Emergency Service Unit were waiting for them and took the couple into custody.
Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, proposed to Angela Nikolau, 33, atop the skyscraper. (WNYW)
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Police arrested the pair on charges of burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, criminal tampering, possession of burglar’s tools, disorderly conduct and other offenses.
Police are reviewing surveillance footage and believe the pair entered the antenna through a locked maintenance hatch on the 102nd-floor observation deck after apparently watching staff movements, WABC reported. Detectives are also investigating how the hatch was opened.
The Empire State Building did not answer questions about how the climbers reached the antenna or whether they had any interactions with security personnel before accessing the restricted area.
In a statement, building management said the climb was “unauthorized” and insisted there was “at no time danger to tenants, visitors, and Empire State Building Observation Deck guests.” Management added that the observation deck “does offer a practical way for the most memorable marriage proposals.”
The stunt briefly disrupted visits to the landmark, with some tourists evacuated from observation decks while police responded.
“At first, it was kind of like comical and seemed a little bit wild and crazy,” witness Laura Staub told the local station. “And then I’ll be honest, once you’re out on the observation deck, I was like, I feel like we shouldn’t be out here. It didn’t really seem like super safe.”
The couple shared engagement photos atop Empire State Building after the daring climb. (INSTAGRAM/angela_nikolau)
News helicopter footage showed the couple, dressed in black and without visible safety tethers, balancing on a narrow ledge atop the antenna before climbing back down through the latticework of the spire. NYPD bodycam footage later showed officers greeting the pair inside the structure before escorting them to safety.
Nikolau later posted images of the proposal and ring on social media.
