Daredevil couple propose atop Empire State Building

A Russian daredevil couple climbed to the top of the Empire State Building's towering spire in New York City yesterday to unfurl a large banner urging world peace in what appeared to be an elaborate marriage proposal that ended in their arrests.

Dressed in sleeveless black outfits and documenting their time in the sky on social media, Ivan 'Vanya' Beerkus and Angela Nikolau hung onto the landmark skyscraper's antenna spire near the glowing red light at its tip some 443m above the footpaths of midtown Manhattan.

They held a black banner with a message in all-capital white letters that flapped in the wind that said: "When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace."

A dizzying proposal

A little after 12.30pm, the pair could be seen on aerial video feeds slowly climbing down to a slightly lower platform in the antenna structure, where they paused.

Mr Beerkus then appeared to propose to Ms Nikolau, getting down on one knee, before the couple embraced and kissed.

Ms Nikolau could then be seen admiring her hand and taking photographs of her ring to share on Instagram.

The couple and their adventures in what has become known as 'rooftopping' were the subject of a 2024 Netflix documentary called 'Skywalkers: A Love Story'.

The New York Police Department closed down streets around the building and later said they had taken the couple into custody "without incident".

The couple, identified by police as Angelina Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, were charged with several offenses, including burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal tampering, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, according to an NYPD spokesperson.

The spokesperson said he did not know whether the couple were still in custody.

It was not clear how they gained access to the antenna.

New York landmarks including the Empire State Building have heightened security since the World Trade Center attacks in 2001.

Father of the climber says 'it's normal'

The Art Deco tower, for decades the tallest building in the world before it was surpassed in the 1960s, sells tickets to tourists who want to ascend to an enclosed observation deck on its 102nd floor.

It does not allow visitors to go higher still by dangerously clambering up the 61m antenna spire above it.

An Empire State Building spokesperson described Wednesday's climb as an "unauthorised incident" in a statement that suggested that the couple should have instead opted for the building's $1,000 'Happily Ever Empire Proposal Package' to rent out the observation deck.

Ms Nikolau's acrobatics run in the family, and her father, the Russian circus artist Dmitriy Nikolau, was aware of his daughter's climb when answering a call from a reporter.

"I think it is normal to climb up a roof in any country, including the United States, according to any constitution," he said.

Asked if he was worried about her following her arrest, he said: "Why should I be worried? I climb up roofs myself."