Empire State Constructing climbers arrested after obvious proposal stunt – NBC New York
Two folks had been taken into NYPD custody after climbing to the highest of the Empire State Constructing, the place they unfurled a big banner atop the enduring Manhattan landmark.
The damaging trespassing stunt seemed to be an act of affection.
Police obtained 911 calls round 12 p.m. Wednesday, when the death-defying duo had been first noticed 1,454 ft within the air on the highest of the constructing’s antenna. Each had been wearing black clothes and face coverings.
The trespassing duo fixed the banner with massive white lettering to the antenna: “When the ability of affection beats the love of energy, the world is aware of peace.”
After roughly half-hour atop the tower, the pair started climbing down the spire and onto a platform the place they embraced. One of many trespassers appeared to suggest to the opposite.
Roughly 10 minutes later, they started descending the remainder of the spire.
The NYPD is wanting into whether or not the 2 people atop the constructing are the identical pair behind a documentary referred to as “Skywalkers: A Love Story,” exhibiting them pull off related stunts on skyscrapers throughout the globe.
The so-called rooftopping documentary follows the couple Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus. The 2 are Russian nationals who usually are filmed climbing buildings with little to no security gear.
Neither Nikolau nor Beerkus have a identified felony historical past in New York Metropolis.
It wasn’t clear how the pair gained entry to the antenna, which rises nicely above public areas of the 102-story constructing.
A spokesperson for the Empire State Constructing referred to as Wednesday’s incident “unauthorized,” however famous that there was no hazard to constructing tenants, guests or commentary deck friends at any time. The spokesperson additionally made a tongue-in-cheek joke in regards to the incident, saying the constructing “does provide a sensible manner for probably the most memorable marriage proposals.”
The constructing appeared to stay open through the incident. An worker instructed NBC New York she couldn’t work out how the climbers managed to get to the highest of the landmark.
“I do not know the way — at first I believed they tried to scale the surface of the constructing. However we’d have heard about that,” an worker named Sydney mentioned.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
