NEW YORK — A Russian-born couple appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court on Thursday, facing felony charges after scaling the Empire State Building's antenna spire and unfurling a banner roughly 1,250 feet above the street, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and court documents.
Angelina Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32 — known publicly as Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus — were arraigned on charges including burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, violation of local law, possession of burglar's tools, criminal tampering, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, according to sources cited by CBS New York. The charges are not bail-eligible under New York law, and the pair are due back in court August 24, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
The security breach occurred around noon Wednesday, when the pair evaded security to unfurl a banner about 1,450 feet above the ground. Preliminary information indicates the two entered through a hatch on the 103rd floor used for water tower maintenance, according to law enforcement sources cited by CBS News. The AP reported that court documents cited a broken lock on a security door on the building's restricted-access 104th floor, which provides access to the antenna; the highest publicly accessible floor is the 102nd-floor observation deck.
Police waited about 30 minutes for the antenna to be powered down before Emergency Services Unit officers began climbing, intercepting the pair on their way down. The climbers were not reported injured, according to police.
Prosecutors said in court that Kuznetsov later told the NYPD he wanted to do something special for his engagement. Video and images from the scene showed the pair unfurling a banner atop the antenna reading, "When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace."
Prosecutors described the pair in court as social media influencers who engage in extreme risk-taking behavior, including breaking into restricted areas of commercial buildings, hanging from rooftops and free-climbing skyscrapers, according to the district attorney's office. The couple has previously appeared in a 2024 Netflix documentary about their unauthorized climbs of tall structures.
Jason Krinsky, an attorney representing the couple, said outside the courthouse that the district attorney's office had overcharged his clients, calling it premature to comment further, according to the AP.
A spokesperson for the Empire State Building said in a statement that the unauthorized incident at the building had been resolved with the constructive and helpful coordination of the NYPD, adding there was at no time danger to tenants, visitors, and Empire State Building Observation Deck guests.
The couple was released without bail following arraignment, in line with New York's bail-eligibility restrictions for the charges filed. Their next court appearance is scheduled for August 24, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
