Last week, a couple made headlines for climbing the antenna on top of the Empire State Building, where they got engaged. They scaled to the top of the spire, raised a black flag with a misattributed Jimi Hendrix quote, then climbed down to a ledge for the proposal. The pair were subsequently arrested and identified as Angela Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov. They’re professional climbers who starred in the 2024 Netflix documentary, Skywalkers: A Love Story, which featured them climbing the world’s second-tallest building, the Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur.
When video of them went viral, I wondered what their motive was. Was it a publicity stunt? Were they trying to make a statement? Or were they just two adrenaline junkies who wanted an epic engagement story? Ivan claims it was the latter. He told officials that they did it because they wanted to make his proposal special. Here’s more from MSN:
The stunt-loving couple arrested after climbing atop the Empire State Building on Wednesday were simply trying to make their engagement special, one of the daredevils reportedly said.
Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, and [Angela] Nikolau, 33, allegedly broke into the Midtown landmark overnight before scaling more than 1,400 feet up the antenna the next morning, according to the criminal complaint.
The social media influencers unfurled a banner reading, “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.” They then climbed down to the antenna platform, where Kuznetsov got down on one knee and proposed.
Kuznetsov told investigators he wanted to do “something special” for his engagement, authorities said.
The couple allegedly went through multiple restricted areas of the building, including breaking the security door lock on the 104th floor, which provides access to the antenna, according to the complaint. The damage reportedly cost $2,000.
Authorities said the couple may have been exposed to radio waves. Police had to turn the antenna power off before NYPD officers could get up there and arrest the duo. Prosecutors said Kuznetsov and Nikolau insisted on staying on the platform.
“You can’t be up here,” an officer is heard telling Nikolau in bodycam footage released by the NYPD.
The couple was arraigned on charges of burglary, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief. The charges are not bail-eligible, and the defendants were freed on supervised release, meaning they have to do regular check-ins.
Kuznetsov and Nikolau were caught kissing while heading into a subway station after their arraignment.
Nikolau, a Russian stunt artist, posted an Instagram video claiming to be the mastermind behind the stunt and invited her 1.2 million followers to watch along on city cameras.
Prosecutors said the influencers are known for risk-taking behavior, including breaking into restricted areas of commercial buildings, hanging from rooftops, and free-climbing skyscrapers. A spokesperson for the Empire State Building said landmark personnel had no knowledge of the stunt.
Ivan can claim romantic intentions all he wants, but their stunt queen move definitely came with additional benefits. It brought a ton of attention to their documentary and introduced them to a much bigger audience. That picture of Angela’s ring over the NYC skyline popped up all over my feed. Their actions even made my family group chat because my dad, who does not have social media, saw it on the news. There is a potential plot twist, though: Angela’s father told ABC News that they’re already married and called the climb “a performance.” Yikes.
I hope Angela and Ivan face consequences. They trespassed on a National Historic Landmark and damaged property. They also didn’t just put themselves in danger, but risked first responders’ lives, too. I hope this doesn’t become a trend of couples trying to one-up their engagements, like people started doing with gender reveals.
Some photos are production stills from Skywalkers: A Love Story, courtesy of Netflix. Others credit: Getty and via Instagram
Why did I think that was Robert Pattison?
I started following them on Insta after I saw their doc on Netflix. They’ve been trying everything under the sun to keep up with the attention they got from that doc and turn it into an income. They moved to NYC only to whine about how expensive it is to rent a living space AND a studio for her. She tried to become a painter only to be driven away from NY galleries. She thought walking in with her (mediocre and racy) high rise themed self-portraits would guarantee an instant showroom gig. They went on to climb buildings illegally and post increasingly sexed up photos. He has started DJ-ing, you guessed it, on high-rise rooftops. I guess they just had to up the ante for something to work. And yes, they endanger themselves and everyone around the building they or some of their stuff might fall onto.
I am so sick of people doing stupid stunts for Likes.
Idiots!
I don’t want to seem xenophobic, but these Russian people are totally welcome by Czar Donald (but not those other, non-white immigrants). After all, Putin is Donnie’s friend and helped him win the American presidency. So come on over, white immigrants! You’re not illegal here. After all, the president married one who rightfully came over on a genius visa.