The two, who appear to be a man and a woman, could be seen wearing masks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace,” the banner read.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Two people climbed to the top of the Empire State Building and flew a banner on July 1, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n
CBS News New York<\/p>\n
It was not immediately clear how the two managed to climb all the way to the top of the radio and television transmission tower for local stations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shortly after reaching the top and flying the banner, one of the two began to descend, but then made their way back to the top.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The two were apparently posting to social media while at the top, police sources said.<\/p>\n
![\"chopper-12pm-hi-res-still.jpg](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/chopper-12pm-hi-res-still.jpg#.jpeg\")
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Two people climbed to the top of the Empire State Building transmission tower on July 1, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n
CBS News New York<\/p>\n
“I just assumed they were allowed up there”<\/p>\n
At the start of the incident, other people could be seen milling about on building’s observation deck below, as normal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“We were right at the top. I could see two people open the gates – the mesh gates – they opened the gates, and they went up to the top,” witness Julie Morris said<\/a>. “I just assumed they were allowed up there.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Morris said they were not wearing masks when they began their climb up. She said there was a security guard present.\u00a0<\/p>\n CBS News New York has reached out to the Empire State Building for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n The observation deck was later cleared.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n The proposal<\/p>\n An NYPD helicopter responded to the scene.\u00a0<\/p>\n At 12:35 p.m., the two began to descend from the top.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n Two people climbed to the top of the Empire State Building transmission tower on July 1, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n CBS News New York<\/p>\n Incredibly, once they hit one of the lower platforms on the tower, the man dropped to one knee and appeared to propose to the woman<\/a>. The two then embraced, the woman removed her mask, and they kissed.\u00a0<\/p>\n A social media post appears to depict the proposal and its aftermath from one of the climber’s point of view.\u00a0<\/p>\n The man who climbed to the top of the Empire State Building on July 1, 2026 appears to propose to the woman.\u00a0<\/p>\n CBS News New York<\/p>\n CBS News New York’s Lisa Rozner reported the street below was closed off as the NYPD responded to the scene, including their elite Emergency Services Unit.\u00a0<\/p>\n The two were taken into custody<\/a> at around 1 p.m. No injuries were reported.\u00a0<\/p>\n Potential charges could include trespass and reckless endangerment, police sources said.\u00a0<\/p>\n “There’s a lot of danger up there”<\/p>\n “These guys are a little crazy. Climbing up and down that tower, especially in this heat, is very strenuous. It’s easy to make mistakes. It doesn’t look like they’re wearing any harnesses. There’s a lot of RF, there’s a lot of electrical energy up on that tower,” former CBS News New York chief engineer John Cleary said<\/a>. “There’s potential for danger up there. It’s something that we’re trained to do. We go to classes for this … it’s not like you climb rocks. This is a live transmission tower. There’s a lot of danger up there.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Empire State Building has previously been climbed<\/p>\n It’s not the first time people have climbed the tower. In 2023, actor and singer Jared Leto climbed it<\/a> to celebrate the launch of 30 Seconds to Mars’ 2024 world tour. He did so with permission.\u00a0<\/p>\n And of course, in the iconic film “King Kong,” the eponymous giant ape famously scaled the building.\u00a0<\/p>\n How tall is the Empire State Building<\/p>\n The Empire State Building’s top floor is 1,250 feet high. Including the transmission tower, the building is 1,454 feet tall.<\/p>\n The winds at the top of the building were southwest at 5-10 mph, and the air temperature while the two were at the top was 89\u00b0.<\/p>\n The iconic building is one of the top 10 tallest in the U.S.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n More from CBS News\n <\/p>\n![\"chopper-12pm-hi-res-still-12-23-2902.jpg](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/chopper-12pm-hi-res-still-12-23-2902.jpg#.jpeg\")
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