Bodycam footage captures moment NYPD officers reached daredevil couple who climbed to top of Empire State Building
Thomas Bamford
Featured Image Credit: NYPD
A couple went viral after climbing to the very top of the Empire State Building's antenna to get engaged, but the stunt has now landed them in serious legal trouble.
Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, and Angela Nikolau, 33, stunned onlookers in midtown Manhattan after managing to bypass the skyscraper's high-security perimeter and scale the 1,454-foot structure without any safety tethers.
Dressed entirely in black and wearing masks, the pair reached the very top of the antenna, where news helicopters captured them unfurling a large black banner reading, "When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace."
After sharing a kiss at the summit, the couple began their descent along the metal latticework, stopping on a slightly wider ledge just below the spire.
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There, Kuznetsov dropped to one knee and proposed, with Nikolau accepting before the newly engaged pair took selfies to show off the ring, more than 1,000 feet above the city skyline.
The celebrations were cut short when the NYPD's Emergency Service Unit scaled the interior ladders of the antenna to intercept them. Bodycam footage released by police captured the tense confrontation, with an officer calling out, "Hey I got eyes on 'em," before adding, "How you doing? You can't be up here!"
"I'm OK," Nikolau replied. The couple cooperated fully and descended calmly, but were taken into custody once they reached the ground.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch shared the footage on social media, writing, "A glimpse into the work of our Emergency Services Unit. God bless these officers."
Despite their cooperation, the pair are said to be facing a lengthy list of charges, including burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, possession of burglar's tools, criminal tampering and disorderly conduct. The Empire State Building reportedly had to shut down its high-frequency antenna transmission during the incident to stop the couple being exposed to dangerous radio waves.
It remains unclear exactly how the New Jersey-based couple, who are known online as "rooftoppers", managed to bypass the building's strict security screening, given that masks are explicitly banned for visitors.
A spokesperson for the Empire State Building confirmed the climb was "unauthorized" but insisted it hadn't posed any danger to tenants, visitors or guests on the observation deck below the spire, adding that the attraction does "offer a practical way for the most memorable marriage proposals."
Nikolau and Kuznetsov are no strangers to daredevil stunts or the spotlight. The pair featured in the 2024 Netflix documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and Nikolau's Instagram is filled with photos of the couple perched atop some of the world's tallest buildings, including Kuala Lumpur's Merdeka 118, the world's second-tallest skyscraper.
Since the incident, Nikolau has continued sharing footage from the climb on her social media, including images of her engagement ring framed against a birds-eye view of New York City.
The pair's next stop, however, will reportedly be a Manhattan courtroom.
UNILAD has contacted the NYPD for comment.