Crazy reason Empire State Building climbers risked death, and it wasn’t just to get engaged

Two people have gone viral after climbing to the top of the Empire State Building and getting engaged, and this is the crazy reason they did it.

Angela Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Beerkus, 32, a Russian couple famous for climbing buildings with no harnesses, climbed to the top of the skyscraper’s needle and held up a banner that said: “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.”

He then got down on one knee and proposed to Angela. She removed her cat mask and they kissed before starting their climb back down. She shared an insane picture of the ring on Instagram, but they didn’t climb up there just to get engaged.

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A post shared by A N G E L A N I K O L A U (@angela_nikolau)

The pair climb buildings as a form of art, “performing a painting” in the air. In 2024, she told the BBC: “Rooftopping is my art form. It motivated me that I have been the first woman doing it, and I was always interested in doing something new in the art space.

“Every time we set up an image, we develop it as a piece of art. I choose the colours and what I will wear. Ivan chooses where the drones will fly and how the image will be shot. We perform a painting in the air every time we do it.”

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On her Instagram, Nikolai lists herself as an “artist” and her bio says: “Neoartist exploring identity, fear & freedom. My dream is to push the boundaries of what’s acceptable in art.” She is the daughter of circus performers and went to art school.

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A post shared by A N G E L A N I K O L A U (@angela_nikolau)

The couple were on top of the 1,454 ft (443m) building for at least 10 minutes, risking death with no harnesses, and had a whole Netflix documentary in 2024 called Skywalkers: A Love Story.

Following the stunt, they were arrested and charged with burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, violation of local laws, possession of burglar’s tools, criminal tampering, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.

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Featured image credit: @angela_nikolau/Instagram