A pair of kissing-daredevils clad in dark clothes and a cat mask scaled the Empire State Building’s 1,454-foot antenna to unveil a cringe message over New York City.
The duo – Angela Nikolau and Vanya Beerkus – were carrying a banner reading “when the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.”
The banner’s message is a slightly modified version of a quote frequently misattributed to guitar legend Jimi Hendrix, which was actually spoken by 19th-century British politician William Gladstone.
A pair of daredevils clad in dark clothes scaled the Empire State Building’s 1,454-foot antenna.
The woman in the reckless duo appeared to be wearing a black cat mask as they perilously dangled from the spire, at times holding on just one hand at a time.
It wasn’t immediately known how the trespassers managed to scale the structure.
After lingering at the top of the tower for around 30 minutes, the climbers began making their way down the spire to the viewing platform, which appears to have been evacuated.
As the couple reached a platform at the base of the spire, the man appeared to drop down to one knee and present her with an item, possibly an engagement ring. Nikolau and Beerkus then shared a kiss and embrace.
The duo was carrying a banner reading “when the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.” CBS News
Jaw-dropping POV-style footage of their vantage from the top of the Empire State Building was posted on an Instagram account belonging to Nikolau, 33, who describes herself as a “neoartist exploring identify, fear & freedom.”
Many of the photos on her page feature her with her beau, Beerkus, 32 — presumably the man she climbed the building with in Wednesday’s stunt — atop several other world-renowned tall structures, including the Bay Bridge in San Francisco and Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur — the world’s second-tallest building.
Angela Nikolau (left) and her boyfriend Ivan Beerkus (right) reportedly climbed to the top of the Empire State building Wednesday. Instagram/@angela_nikolau
The man appeared to propose to the woman on the platform at the base of the spire. CBS News
The couple shared a kiss after the proposal atop the 1,454-foot NYC landmark. CBS News
A jaw-dropping POV-style footage of their vantage from the top of the Empire State building was posted on Nikolau’s Instagram account. Instagram/@angela_nikolau
Nikolau, 33 — who describes herself as a “neoartist exploring identify, fear & freedom” — posed atop the Empire State Building. Instagram/@angela_nikolau
The Instagram account claims the couple were the subjects of a 2024 Netflix documentary, “Skywalkers: A Love Story,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival that year.
The stunt wasn’t the first time someone has ascended to the top of the structure.
French climber Alain Robert, known as “French Spider-Man,” free-climbed the building with bare hands and feet in 1994. He was quickly arrested by the NYPD.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.