Couple charged with felonies for Empire State Building climb-turned-proposal

Key Points:

• A couple, known as Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus, climbed the Empire State Building’s antenna and unfurled a banner promoting love and peace as part of a marriage proposal, leading to felony charges including reckless endangerment and burglary.
• The stunt, documented in the 2024 Netflix film "Skywalkers: A Love Story," involved scaling restricted areas of the skyscraper, posing safety risks to both the climbers and responding officers.
• Police intercepted the couple after waiting for the antenna to be powered down, and found evidence of unauthorized access, including a broken lock on a security door to the 104th floor.
• The Empire State Building management condemned the climb as unauthorized, while the couple was released without bail under New York law; their attorney indicated they would review evidence before deciding on next steps.
• Previous unauthorized climbs of the building’s antenna have occurred, though some, like actor Jared Leto’s 2023 ascent to the antenna base, were officially permitted for promotional purposes.