Daredevil couple from NJ faces charges for climbing Empire State Building
The individuals are seen on top of the spire waving a black flag with writing on it.
More Stories
A couple from New Jersey are facing several charges after a daredevil climb of the Empire State Building.
Police identified the pair as 32-year-old Ivan Kuznetsov and 33-year-old Angelina Nikolau of East Orange, New Jersey.
Video shows two people climbing to the needle point of the building, which is more than 1,400 feet above the streets of Midtown Manhattan.
It happened just after 12 p.m. Wednesday as hundreds of people walked the streets below.
The climbers made it to the top of the iconic skyscraper’s antenna, holding a banner that reads “When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace."
The video also shows one climber taking a knee and proposing.
The NYPD released body camera video showing officers with the Emergency Services Unit climbing up the spire of the building to arrest the two climbers.
Daredevils have previously climbed the antenna and other parts of the Empire State Building. Those ascents have largely been unauthorized, but actor and musician Jared Leto was allowed to climb up to the base of the antenna from the 86th floor in 2023 to promote a tour.
Kuznetsov and Nikolau are facing multiple charges, including burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, possession of burglar's tools and criminal tampering.
The pair has a massive following on social media where they post countless videos showing them scaling skyscrapers across the world.
