NEW YORK CITY – Two daredevil social media stars spent their first night as an engaged couple in separate jail cells after climbing to the top of New York’s iconic Empire State Building to pop the question – and unfurl a peace banner.
Russian rooftoppers Angela Nikolau (33) and Ivan Kuznetsov (32), known online as the “Skywalkers”, were arrested on 1 July after scaling the 443-metre skyscraper’s broadcast antenna and staging what might be the world’s most illegal marriage proposal.
The stunt, which saw the couple dress in all black and kiss at the peak while hanging a banner reading “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace”, was monitored by police drones and a helicopter before officers from the NYPD’s elite emergency service unit swooped in to arrest them.
The pair, who have built a massive social media following with similar stunts across China and California, appeared at Manhattan Criminal Court on 2 July facing a laundry list of charges including burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, criminal tampering, disorderly conduct and possession of burglar’s tools.
But here’s the twist – because their charges weren’t bail-eligible under New York law, the newly engaged couple walked free under supervision just a day after their arrest.
Kuznetsov, who goes by the name Ivan Beerkus online and has more than 500 000 Instagram followers, told investigators he wanted to do “something special” for the engagement. His partner Nikolau boasts an impressive 1.8 million followers on the platform.
The building’s owners were less than impressed with the romantic gesture, issuing a statement suggesting that couples in love might want to try the Empire State Building’s official observation deck instead – you know, the legal route.
“The Empire State Building Observation Deck, atop the World’s Most Famous Building in the centre of New York City, does offer a practical way for the most memorable marriage proposals,” the statement read, with just a hint of exasperation.
Investigators are still trying to work out exactly how the pair managed to reach the summit of the landmark building, which opened in 1931 as the world’s tallest and famously featured in the climax of King Kong two years later.
The couple, who share an address in New Jersey, didn’t enter a plea at their arraignment. Their attorney Jason Krinsky said they would assess the evidence before determining their next steps.
They’re due back in court on 24 August – giving them nearly two months to plan what one hopes will be a slightly more conventional wedding.
Sources: cbsnews.com; ABCnews.com; ny1.com
