AP, NEW YORK
A skyscraper-scaling daredevil told police that he and his girlfriend climbed the Empire State Building’s antenna and unfurled a banner about love and peace, because he wanted to “do something special” for their engagement, US prosecutors said on Thursday at the couple’s arraignment on felony reckless endangerment, burglary and other charges. The couple, who go by Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus, said little as they left court, but Beerkus responded to a journalist’s question about the stunt by saying: “We believe in love.” Authorities said the two — who were the subject of the 2024 Netflix documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story about their “rooftopping” exploits and budding romance — created not only a spectacle but also a danger by ascending the famed New York skyscraper’s broadcast antenna on Wednesday.
Angela Nikolau, left, and Ivan Beerkus kiss at the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall train station after exiting New York City Criminal Court on Thursday.
After reaching the top, 443m above midtown Manhattan, the climbers displayed a black banner reading: “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace,” news helicopter video showed. Then they collected the banner and descended to a slightly lower ledge, where an apparently successful marriage proposal unfolded. Nikolau posted images of the escapade on her social media accounts, including a photo that modeled an engagement-style ring above a bird’s-eye view of Manhattan.
