Two rooftoppers known for scaling skyscrapers were arraigned in New York on felony charges after prosecutors said they unlawfully accessed the Empire State Building’s restricted antenna area, unfurled a banner, and forced emergency officers to climb high above Manhattan to intercept them.
Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus, who were identified in court papers by their formal names, Angelina Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov, were charged after the Wednesday climb at one of New York City’s most recognizable landmarks. Prosecutors said at their Thursday arraignment that Beerkus told police the couple climbed the antenna because he wanted to do something special for their engagement.
The criminal case turns a public stunt into a legal fight over restricted access, public safety, and the risks created for emergency responders. Authorities said the couple climbed to the top of the building’s broadcast antenna, about 1,454 feet above Midtown Manhattan, and displayed a black banner with a message about love and peace before descending to a lower ledge, where the apparent proposal took place.
Nikolau later posted images from the climb on social media, including a photo showing an engagement-style ring above a bird’s-eye view of Manhattan. The couple had already been known to some viewers from the 2024 Netflix documentary “Skywalkers: A Love Story,” which followed their relationship and history of climbing tall structures, often without authorization.
Prosecutors charged the pair with felony reckless endangerment, burglary and other offenses. The court complaint cited the danger to Emergency Services Unit officers, who police said had to wait about 30 minutes for the antenna to be powered down before ascending the building to reach them.
Officers ultimately intercepted the climbers as they were coming down, according to the complaint. Police said the officers climbed about 1,250 feet above the ground during the response.
That detail is central to the legal theory. Reckless endangerment cases often focus on the danger created for other people, not only on whether anyone was physically hurt. In New York, first-degree reckless endangerment can be charged when someone recklessly creates a grave risk of death to another person under circumstances showing extreme disregard for human life.
Prosecutors may place greater weight on the alleged risk to officers than on the danger the couple took on themselves. A person can choose to engage in a dangerous climb, but the law may treat the conduct differently when police, firefighters, building employees, or bystanders are drawn into the danger. The complaint’s focus on the emergency response places the case in that public safety frame.
The burglary charge also does not necessarily mean prosecutors claim the couple entered the building to steal. Under New York law, burglary can be charged when someone knowingly enters or remains unlawfully in a building with the intent to commit a crime inside. That makes restricted access, alleged damage to a lock, and the purpose of entering nonpublic areas important parts of the case.
Police said they found a broken lock on a security door on the restricted 104th floor, which provides access to the antenna. The highest floor open to the public is the 102nd floor observation deck. Access beyond that area requires a key card, according to the complaint.
The Empire State Building’s management has called the climb unauthorized. Building officials have not answered questions about what interactions, if any, the climbers had with security workers before reaching the restricted area.
The charges also show how prosecutors may treat viral building climbs as more than trespass when a landmark, broadcast equipment, restricted doors, and emergency responders are involved. A simple unauthorized entry can lead to more serious charges if prosecutors claim the conduct created a grave risk or involved unlawful access with the intent to commit another offense.
At landmark properties, the legal stakes can reach beyond the people who climb. Building owners must control access to restricted areas, police must decide how to respond without increasing the danger, and prosecutors must determine whether the alleged facts support felony charges rather than lower-level offenses. The Empire State Building’s height and public profile make those choices more visible, but the legal question remains tied to the conduct alleged in the complaint.
Beerkus and Nikolau were released without bail after their arraignment, in accordance with New York rules that limit when monetary bail may be set. Their attorney, Jason Krinsky, said outside court that the defense would review the evidence once prosecutors provide it and then determine next steps.
The charges remain pending in New York criminal court.
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