The Daredevils Who Illegally Climbed the Empire State Building Are Already Out of Jail, and Were Seen Making Out on the Streets of New York Moments After Leaving Court
Angela Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov woke up in a jail cell after their sky-high proposal. Hours later they were kissing on the courthouse steps like the whole thing never happened.
So what were Angela Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov actually charged with, and how did they get to the top of the Empire State Building without anyone stopping them?
Angela Nikolau and Ivan “Vanya” Beerkus leave New York City Criminal Court following their arraignment on July 2, 2026, after the pair scaled the Empire State Building spire. Photo by Bing Guan / Reuters.
Start with the charges. Nikolau, 33, and Kuznetsov, 32, were hit with three felonies (burglary, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief) plus three misdemeanors (trespass, criminal tampering and possession of burglary tools), according to the New York Post.
Angela Nikolau and Ivan “Vanya” Beerkus leave New York City Criminal Court following their arraignment on July 2, 2026, after scaling the Empire State Building spire. Photo by Bing Guan / Reuters.
Now the how. Law-enforcement sources say the couple bought tickets Tuesday at 9 p.m. and hid inside the Midtown landmark overnight, waiting out closing and the last of the observation-deck crowds.
Two climbers scale the spire of the Empire State Building in New York City on July 1, 2026, as part of a stunt that drew widespread attention. Photo by Timothy A. Clary / AFP via Getty Images.
Around 5 a.m. they emerged from a hatch on the 102nd floor. Kuznetsov used tools to loosen the brackets on metal cables stretching across a stairwell, and the two climbed through to the antenna more than 1,000 feet up, where he proposed.
Perched atop the Empire State Building’s mast, two figures in black unfurl a banner reading “When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace” on July 1, 2026. Photo via REUTERS/ABC Affiliate WABC.
Their first night as an engaged couple was spent in separate holding cells. They were arraigned around 9 a.m. Thursday at Manhattan Criminal Court on Centre Street, still wearing the same black outfits from the climb, and cut loose on supervised release with no bail. They’re due back in court August 24.
Angela Nikolau and Ivan “Vanya” Beerkus share a kiss at the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall subway station on July 2, 2026, shortly after their arraignment at NYC Criminal Court. Photo by Bing Guan / Reuters.
Defense attorney Jason Krinsky argued the charges were overkill, said even the building’s own people conceded there was no risk to tenants or guests on the observation deck, and leaned into the romance of it. “It was a message of love,” he said. “She didn’t say ‘no.’ So you gotta give him that.”
Angela Nikolau and Ivan “Vanya” Beerkus leave New York City Criminal Court following their arraignment on July 2, 2026, after scaling the Empire State Building spire. Photo by Bing Guan / Reuters.
Photographers caught the couple kissing as they left the courthouse and headed for the Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall subway station, one long kiss in full public view before they disappeared underground.
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Angela Nikolau and Ivan "Vanya" Beerkus leave New York City Criminal Court following their arraignment on July 2, 2026, after the pair scaled the Empire State Building spire. Photo by Bing Guan Reuters.
Angela Nikolau and Ivan "Vanya" Beerkus leave New York City Criminal Court following their arraignment on July 2, 2026, after scaling the Empire State Building spire. Photo by Bing Guan Reuters.
Two climbers scale the spire of the Empire State Building in New York City on July 1, 2026, as part of a stunt that drew widespread attention. Photo by Timothy A. Clary AFP via Getty Images.
Perched atop the Empire State Building's mast, two figures in black unfurl a banner reading "When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace" on July 1, 2026. Photo via REUTERS/ABC Affiliate WABC.
Angela Nikolau and Ivan "Vanya" Beerkus share a kiss at the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall subway station on July 2, 2026, shortly after their arraignment at NYC Criminal Court. Photo by Bing Guan Reuters.
Angela Nikolau and Ivan "Vanya" Beerkus leave New York City Criminal Court following their arraignment on July 2, 2026, after scaling the Empire State Building spire. Photo by Bing Guan Reuters.
