Two people have been arrested after they decided to scale to the top of the Empire State Building in New York to announce their engagement to the world.
The now viral event saw two climbers – Angelina Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov – ascend to the top of the landmark and unfurl a banner which read: “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.”
The couple are known as daredevil influencers and were featured in the 2024 Netflix documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story.
Almost 1500 feet above sea level, the couple were arrested on charges of burglary, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief with Kuznetsov saying he wanted to “do something special for his engagement” as his reason for the stunt.
The couple managed to surpass security at the iconic New York building after entering as visitors the day before. They subsequently hid to stop in after closing and re-emerged out in the early hours of the next morning before beginning the climb to the top.
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Police were then called and officers wearing harnesses climbed to roughly 1250 feet to reach the pair and bring them back down safely.
Nikolau posted several pictures and video of the stunt to social media, including one of her engagement ring with the New York City skyline in the background, which has generated several million likes.
The stunt has since gone viral with the image of the banner becoming a meme and jewellery brands themselves have also jumped on the trend.
Stephanie Gottlieb posted a picture of the couple atop the tower along with the caption: “If he doesn’t scale the Empire State Building and buy your ring from SG, he’s not the one.”
They also posted an AI image making it appear as if Kuznetsov proposed using a ring bought from Gottlieb.
The couple have not yet revealed the configuration of the engagement ring or where it was purchased from but going off the available pictures, the piece features an oval diamond on a gold band, a popular and elegant style that is generally affordable and emits class and style without breaking the bank.
Nikolau and Kuznetsov have been togethe since 2016 and are two of the most famous rooftoppers in the world. They seek to climb skyscrapers in big cities around the world with the acts often involving illegal activity. They have previously completed climbs in China and Malaysia, with the later seeing them reach the top of the second tallest building in the world.
They are not the first people to climb to the top of the Empire State Building. French climber Alain Robert ascended to the summit in 1994 while singer and actor Jared Leto completed a climb in 2023 in aid of promoting the world tour of his rock band, Thirty Seconds to Mars.
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