Angela Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, used neither ropes nor a harness. They climbed by hand all the way to the spire of the Empire State Building, at 443 meters high, on July 1, 2026, in Manhattan.
At the top they unfurled a black banner with a message about the power of love and peace. No one knows for sure how they got to that metal structure reserved for antennas and beacons; police suspect they entered through a maintenance hatch on the 102nd floor, but that is still under investigation.
On the way down, Ivan got down on one knee and proposed to Angela with a ring. She said yes. Minutes later, the NYPD Emergency Service Unit was waiting to arrest them. The couple, who already starred in a Netflix documentary about their extreme climbs, now face charges of trespassing, reckless endangerment, and criminal damage, among others.
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