Empire State Building Climbers Win Supervised Release After 1,300-Foot Proposal

Q: How did two climbers breach the Empire State Building's security for a viral marriage proposal?

Authorities have not yet established the exact route, but investigators believe the couple got into a restricted area of the Empire State Building and then accessed a locked maintenance hatch near the 102nd-floor observation deck, allowing them to climb onto the spire. Police and building security are reviewing surveillance footage to determine how they bypassed screening and other checkpoints. Officials suspect they may have used a worker entrance after watching employee movements, rather than entering through normal visitor channels. Witness accounts also suggest two people who appeared to belong there moved through off-limits mesh-gated areas without being challenged. That theory fits the pair’s known methods. Angelina Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov are experienced “rooftoppers,” and reporting tied to their past exploits indicates they sometimes study staff routines and, at times, pose as workers to gain access to restricted spaces. Investigators are also examining whether a lock on the maintenance hatch was broken or otherwise tampered with. Once on the spire, they remained there for about 30 minutes, unfurled a banner, and Kuznetsov appeared to propose before NYPD Emergency Service Unit officers climbed up and escorted them down. The breach has raised fresh questions about how even a heavily secured landmark could be penetrated by people familiar with exploiting operational gaps rather than defeating security head-on.

3 articles · Updated · Gothamist · Jul 2

Angelina Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, were freed Thursday under supervised release after arraignment on reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and burglary charges tied to their Empire State Building climb.
Court papers say the couple trespassed overnight into restricted upper floors, broke a security-door lock causing about $2,000 in damage, and reached the antenna before police shut down broadcasts and sent emergency officers up.
Prosecutors said Kuznetsov told police he wanted to do something special for the engagement; the pair had gone viral after he proposed more than 1,300 feet up and they unfurled a peace banner.
Because the charges are not bail-eligible, Judge Janice Chen ordered check-ins with the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice instead of jail; the couple is due back in court on Aug. 24.
Nikolau and Kuznetsov, already known for illegal high-rise climbs and the 2024 documentary “Skywalkers: A Love Story,” left court holding hands and declined to discuss how they pulled off the stunt.