Empire State Building security under scrutiny after climbers' stunt, tourist reveals possible access point

A New York City tourist said she watched a daredevil couple slip through what appeared to be a restricted access point at the Empire State Building moments before they climbed the landmark's 1,454-foot antenna, prompting questions about security after the pair staged a high-altitude marriage proposal and were arrested.

Julie Morris told WABC-TV she was on the building's 102nd-floor observation deck Wednesday when she saw two people pass through a mesh gate into what appeared to be a restricted area leading toward the antenna.

"Well, I was on the top, the very top, along come these two people. Opened the mesh. Assumed they worked there and nobody stopped them," Morris said.

Authorities identified the climbers as Angela Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, a Russian couple known for scaling skyscrapers and other towering structures around the world. The pair gained international attention in the 2024 Netflix documentary, "Skywalkers: A Love Story," which follows their unauthorized rooftop climbs.

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The couple climbed the Empire State Building's iconic transmitter, unfurled a banner reading, "When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace," then embraced before Kuznetsov got down on one knee and proposed.

After she said yes, Nikolau admired the ring before the couple continued climbing down the spire, where officers with the NYPD Emergency Service Unit met them and took them into custody.

Police arrested the pair on charges of burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, criminal tampering, possession of burglar's tools, disorderly conduct and other offenses.

Police are reviewing surveillance footage and believe the pair entered the antenna through a locked maintenance hatch on the 102nd-floor observation deck after apparently watching staff movements, WABC reported. Detectives are also investigating how the hatch was opened.

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The Empire State Building did not answer questions about how the climbers reached the antenna or whether they had any interactions with security personnel before accessing the restricted area.

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In a statement, building management said the climb was "unauthorized" and insisted there was "at no time danger to tenants, visitors, and Empire State Building Observation Deck guests." Management added that the observation deck "does offer a practical way for the most memorable marriage proposals."

The stunt briefly disrupted visits to the landmark, with some tourists evacuated from observation decks while police responded.

"At first, it was kind of like comical and seemed a little bit wild and crazy," witness Laura Staub told the local station. "And then I'll be honest, once you're out on the observation deck, I was like, I feel like we shouldn't be out here. It didn't really seem like super safe."

News helicopter footage showed the couple, dressed in black and without visible safety tethers, balancing on a narrow ledge atop the antenna before climbing back down through the latticework of the spire. NYPD bodycam footage later showed officers greeting the pair inside the structure before escorting them to safety.

Nikolau later posted images of the proposal and ring on social media.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.