Russian couple arrested after daring rooftop proposal atop Empire State Building

A Russian couple who staged a death-defying marriage proposal atop the spire of New York's Empire State Building has been arrested.

Around noon Tuesday (local time), a man and a woman dressed in black climbed to the top of the antenna of the roughly 450-meter-tall Empire State Building in Manhattan and unfurled a large banner, drawing the attention of onlookers below, according to Reuters and The New York Times.

The banner read: "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."

The pair then descended to a platform beneath the antenna structure, where the man dropped to one knee, produced a ring and proposed to the woman. The couple embraced, kissed and took photos with a mobile phone.

The couple was identified as Angela Nikolau, 33, and Vanya Beerkus, 32, a well-known Russian extreme-climbing duo.

The two gained international recognition through "rooftopping" — an extreme sport involving scaling tall buildings and structures — and are the subjects of "Skywalkers: A Love Story," a documentary released in 2024.

Nikolau also filmed herself climbing the spire while wearing a Catwoman-inspired headpiece and posted the footage on Instagram.

The New York Police Department cordoned off streets around the building and took the pair into custody at around 1 p.m.

The couple is expected to face charges including trespassing.

It remains unclear how the two reached the spire, an area off-limits to the public. The building's management issued a statement calling the incident "an unauthorized and unsanctioned action."

Completed in 1931, the Empire State Building was once the world's tallest skyscraper and remains one of New York's most visited tourist attractions. Visitors can access observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors, but the exterior spire area is restricted.

The incident occurred during a period of heightened security ahead of the July 4 Independence Day holiday, raising fresh concerns about security management at a landmark in a city that has tightened protections at major facilities since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.