Translated with AI
Russian roofers Angelina Nikolau and Ivan Birkus climbed to the top of the Empire State Building in New York City, unfurled a banner with a pacifist message, and then announced their engagement at a height of nearly 450 meters. After descending, the couple was detained by New York City police.
At the top of the famous skyscraper, roofers unfurled a large black banner with the white inscription: "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." This phrase is often attributed to American musician Jimi Hendrix.
Angelina and Ivan, dressed in black and masks, climbed the 443-meter-tall spire of the Empire State Building. Footage taken from a police helicopter shows them moving along the antenna's metal structures without safety ropes, holding on to them with their hands.
The pair remained at the top for some time. Then, the roofers began descending the tower's metal structures, before climbing back up and later beginning their final descent. They simultaneously posted their progress on social media.
Having reached one of the lower platforms, Ivan dropped to one knee and, judging by the published photographs and videos, proposed to Angelina.
Afterward, the couple embraced. Angelina removed her mask, they kissed, and took several photos together. In the photos later published, Nicolaou showed off the ring against the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline.
In the bodycam footage, one of the officers can be heard telling the roofers, "Well, you can't be here." The off-camera response is, "We're engaged."
The New York City police later identified the daredevils. According to the NYPD, they are 32-year-old Ivan Kuznetsov and 33-year-old Angelina Nicolaou. Ivan is known on social media by the pseudonym Ivan Beerkus and is also known as Ivan Birkus.
The couple currently resides in East Orange, New Jersey. Angelina and Ivan are widely known as Russian roofers, who have been climbing tall buildings without safety equipment or safety ropes for many years.
From China to one of the world's tallest skyscrapers
Ivan Birkus became interested in extreme climbing as a teenager. He gained fame for his unmanned ascents of some of the world's tallest buildings.
The roofer gained a wide audience thanks to his photographs and videos from the roofs of skyscrapers, construction cranes, and other high-rise structures. Many of his ascents were illegal.
Angelina Nicolaou grew up in a family of circus performers and is a former gymnast. Heights have been a part of her life since childhood, and she later also took up extreme roof climbing. She gained fame for her unprotected high-rise climbs and the photos she posted online.
Angelina and Ivan's story began in 2016 in the Moscow roofing community. In the documentary, Nikolau recounted how, when they first met, she was significantly less experienced than Ivan and aspired to emulate his ascents.
Their romance began during a joint trip to China in 2016. One of the couple's first high-profile adventures was climbing the Goldin Finance 117 skyscraper in Tianjin.
In the following years, Angelina and Ivan climbed in various countries and cities. One of the couple's biggest challenges was climbing the Merdeka 118 skyscraper in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The building's height is 678.9 meters. Merdeka 118 is one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world.
A story of love and risk became a documentary
In 2024, a documentary film, Skywalkers: A Love Story, was dedicated to Angelina Nicolaou and Ivan Birkus.
The film centers on the couple's relationship and their perilous ascents. One of the key plot lines is the attempt to conquer Merdeka 118.
The filmmakers show that Angelina and Ivan's relationship is practically inseparable from their extreme passion. During these highs, each of them must literally trust their partner with their lives.
Their seven-year story of love, risk and absolute trust formed the basis of a documentary film.
How roofers got to the top of the Empire State Building
According to preliminary investigation data, the daredevils entered the Empire State Building's technical level through a hatch on the 103rd floor. This passage is typically used for servicing the water supply system.
Visitor access to the 103rd floor is closed, while tourists are only allowed on the 102nd floor. Investigators are trying to determine how the couple managed to access the technical area and then climb the radio and television antenna above the building.
Former CBS chief engineer John Cleary said this route is usually closed. According to him, the maintenance hatch is usually locked.
Beyond it lies level JJ, behind which lies another door with an electronic card access system. The specialist was unable to explain how the roofers managed to breach both security barriers.
Police shut down the antenna and evacuated the observation deck.
Emergency Services Unit personnel and a police helicopter arrived at the scene.
Due to potential exposure to powerful radio waves, the skyscraper's broadcast antenna was temporarily shut down. Police officers approached the roofers wearing helmets and special safety equipment.
Around 12:35, Angelina and Ivan began their final descent. Both were soon detained.
No one was injured in the incident. During the police operation, the street near the skyscraper was closed, and the observation deck was completely evacuated.
According to sources, Ivan Kuznetsov and Angelina Nikolau are charged with multiple offenses. They are accused of illegally entering a building, endangering the life and safety of others, intentional damage to property, violating local laws, possessing tools for illegal entry, criminal interference with the operation of a facility, illegal presence on a secure property, and disturbing the peace.
It is not yet known who will represent the couple's interests in court.
The skyscraper's administration commented on the ascent
An Empire State Building spokesman said the incident was unauthorized, but that the situation was quickly resolved through cooperation between the building and police.
The administration emphasized that there was no threat to the building's tenants, employees, tourists, or visitors to the observation deck.
At the same time, representatives of the skyscraper noted with irony that the official observation deck of the Empire State Building, even without dangerous stunts, remains one of the most popular places in New York for marriage proposals.
Former CBS chief engineer John Cleary called such ascents extremely dangerous. He explained that the tower is a functioning transmitting antenna with powerful radio waves and a large amount of electrical equipment.
Furthermore, climbing metal structures in hot weather requires significant physical effort, and any mistake can lead to tragedy.
"This isn't like rock climbing at all. This is a functioning broadcasting tower, where there are numerous hazards," the specialist noted.
At the time of the incident, the air temperature at the summit was around 32 degrees Celsius, and the southwesterly wind speed reached 8-16 km/h.
The Empire State Building and other famous ascents
The Empire State Building has been the site of similar ascents before. In 2023, actor and musician Jared Leto climbed to the base of the antenna as part of a promotional campaign for the Thirty Seconds to Mars world tour. However, his ascent was fully coordinated with the building's management.
Other high-profile cases include a woman climbing the Statue of Liberty in 2018 to protest President Donald Trump's immigration policies, and a 20-year-old man using suction cups to climb up the facade of Trump Tower in 2016.
The Empire State Building also made cinematic history thanks to the film King Kong, in which the giant ape climbs to the top of the skyscraper.
For Angelina Nicolaou and Ivan Birkus, altitude isn't just about adrenaline. Their story of extreme ascents is built on trust: hundreds of meters above the ground, every move and every decision depends on the person next to them.
On July 1, 2026, this story took on a new chapter: Ivan proposed to Angelina on the Empire State Building. Beforehand, the couple unfurled a banner at the top with the words: "When the power of love surpasses the love of power, the world will know peace."
After the descent, both were detained by New York police.
