2 daredevils arrested after climbing to top of Empire State Building for stunt marriage proposal

A dramatic scene unfolded high atop the streets of midtown Manhattan on Wednesday when two daredevils climbed the Empire State Building, making it all the way to the top of the iconic skyscraper's spire where they unfurled a banner and then got engaged. They also were promptly arrested by police when the stunt was over.

TV cameras from circling news helicopters captured the wild scene as the masked man and woman made it to the top of the spire, and flew a black banner with words in white lettering that read, "When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace." The saying was made popular in the 1800s by British politician William Gladstone, according to WABC, and was later repeated in the 1960s by late guitar legend Jimi Hendrix.

News footage showed the couple triumphantly hanging onto the spire as their banner was blown by the breezes some 1,454 feet above the streets below them. Police attempted to persuade the couple to climb down, and eventually they began to descend. But not before the man stopped, got down on one knee and, brandishing a ring, proposed to the woman. She said yes. 

NYPD officers who climbed to the top of the Empire State Building took the two into custody as they made their way down. 

The mand and woman were identified as Angela Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Beerkus, 32, and couple posted a slew of photos on social media documenting the stunt and the high-altitude marriage proposal within an hour of the whole ordeal.

Nikolau and Beerkus are known daredevils who were featured in a 2024 Netflix documentary called Skywalkers. According to The New York Post, the pair snuck past a gate on the 102nd floor, which allowed them to reach the spire, and they began their climb from there. Later Wednesday afternoon, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch released police bodycam footage showing officers placing the two daredevils under arrest at the top of the skyscraper.

The building's management posted a message on X after the excitement wound down, saying, "The Empire State Building Observation Deck, atop the World's Most Famous Building in the center of New York City, does offer a practical way for the most memorable marriage proposal." Below, watch Fox News coverage of the stunt.