On July 1, 2026, Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus — the Russian rooftoppers behind the Netflix documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story — scaled the spire of the Empire State Building in New York City, reaching approximately 1,454 feet above street level without safety gear. They unfurled a black banner reading “When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace” — a phrase widely attributed to Jimi Hendrix — and then, before descending, Ivan got down on one knee. Angela said yes. The NYPD was already on its way up.
A stunt ten years in the making
Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus have been climbing together since around 2016, building a global reputation for ascending skyscrapers, construction cranes, and unfinished towers in China, Malaysia, and beyond — usually without permits, often without ropes. Their most documented climb before this one was the Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, the second-tallest building in the world at the time of their ascent. That climb and their relationship became the subject of Skywalkers: A Love Story, the 2024 Netflix documentary that premiered at Sundance and introduced their story to a mainstream audience far beyond the rooftopping community.
What makes their work distinctive — and what separates it from pure recklessness — is the deliberate blend of art, message, and performance. Angela is a visual artist as much as she is an athlete; their climbs are rarely just about the height. The Empire State Building stunt fits that pattern exactly: dark clothing, masks to delay identification, a pre-prepared banner with a political-philosophical quote, and a planned descent to a lower platform. The proposal, reportedly, was not planned for public consumption. It happened in the moment, between the two of them, at roughly the highest point any unauthorized person has stood in New York City in recent memory. the extreme sport of rooftopping and its legal consequences
What actually happened on the spire — and what comes next
According to multiple reports citing law enforcement sources, the pair wore masks and appeared untethered during their ascent of the Empire State Building‘s antenna spire. Once they reached the top, they unfurled the banner and waited long enough for it to be photographed and filmed by news helicopters circling below. Then they moved to a lower platform on the spire structure, where Ivan reportedly dropped to one knee. Angela removed her mask. They embraced, kissed, and took selfies — with Manhattan as the backdrop and the entire city watching from the street.
NYPD officers climbed up to meet them. Both were taken into custody after safely descending. No injuries were reported; charges were pending as of the time of this writing. The specific charges were not immediately confirmed, but unauthorized entry and trespassing on a landmark of this scale typically carries serious weight under New York law. The couple has been arrested before — it is, functionally, a known cost of doing business for rooftoppers of their profile. What is less common is being arrested with an engagement ring on the same afternoon.
- how Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus became famous
