Extreme climber Angelina Nikolau, in the trailer for the 2024 Netflix documentary, “Skywalkers: A Love Story,” said: “Love is like heights. The fear never goes away.

You just get better at facing it.” On Wednesday, Nikolau, 33, who goes by Angela, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, who goes by Ivan Beerkus, elevated their romance to a height of about 1,450 feet above the sweltering city, ascending the needle of the Empire State Building, unfurling a black banner that read “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace,” and getting engaged. A day later, they were arraigned on felony charges and released under court supervision.

Many New Yorkers and observers from afar are likely asking how the two trespassing daredevils managed to breach security at one of New York City’s most iconic landmarks – and how they did it amid a heightened NYPD presence for World Cup matches, the expected wedding celebration for pop star Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden, and festivities commemorating America’s 250th birthday. On Instagram, Nikolau posted photos and video from the climb, along with a shot of her glittering engagement ring with the city in the background.

After their precious moment ended in handcuffs, Kuznetsov later told the NYPD he wanted to “do something special for his engagement,” according to prosecutors. Of course, he could have booked a $1,000 per couple “Happily Ever Empire Proposal Package” from the Empire State Building, popping the question in the “iconic 86th Floor Observation Deck, in a designated, semi-private corner with stunning open-air views of New York City reserved for your special moment.” But this couple went beyond the observation deck.

As Nikolau said in the documentary trailer, “Security always has a blindspot.” The pair are well-known 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 prosecutors with the Manhattan DA’s office. Couple hid in maintenance room overnight Nikolau and Kuznetsov entered the Empire State Building as visitors the night before their stunt and hid inside after closing, according to a law enforcement official.

They purchased tickets to the open-air observatory on the 86th floor at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, about two hours before access to ticket holders is cut off, the official said. Like the more than 2.5 million visitors each year, the pair likely waited in line with people from around the globe who flood the building’s ornate lobby, with a grand staircase and hulking two-story model of the Art Deco icon.

In the lobby, visitors must pass through an airport-style security screening area with bag checks and X-ray machines. Nikolau and Kuznetsov both went through security screening, the official said.

An enhanced ticket gives visitors access to the enclosed, climate-controlled 102nd-floor observation deck with floor-to-ceiling windows. The deck, which sits at the base of the needle atop the building, is reached via a glass elevator, according to the building’s website.

It’s unclear whether the couple purchased enhanced tickets. Security camera footage showed Nikolau and Kuznetsov hiding in the observatory complex, the official said.

It is believed they hid in the maintenance room before the observatory closed, according to another official. Video also showed the couple popping out of a hatch in the floor in the pre-dawn hours Wednesday and emerging into the 102nd-floor observatory complex near the top of the building.

The stairs leading to the spire are blocked by a series of metal cables, according to the first official. Video showed the man using tools to loosen brackets on the wall that hold the gate-like cables tight across the stairwell.

Once the cables were loosened, they maneuvered around a gate and cut two padlocks before emerging into the spire, the official said. The complaint said access to the broadcast antenna required passing through multiple restricted areas, including the 103rd floor, which is accessible only with a key card to a secure door on the 102nd floor.

Investigators were reviewing ticket purchases and other videos to determine if the two had visited the Empire State Building on prior occasions, the official said. Finding a suitable hiding place may have required surveillance of the layout and security.

Daredevil couple share long kiss for cameras after leaving courthouse Investigators believe the pair hoped to monetize their social media accounts and generate publicity for another documentary, a law enforcement source told CNN. People on the streets of Midtown Manhattan gazed at the top of the skyscraper as the pair ascended the spire and unfurled their banner in a stunt that seemed to mesmerize the nation.

The first 911 call occurred just after noon on Wednesday. Air traffic control audio captured a conversation between an NYPD helicopter pilot and a LaGuardia air traffic controller. “What’s all the hoopla going on over there?” the air traffic controller asked, according to ATC.com. “Two geniuses climbed to the top of the Empire State Building at the top of the spire,” the officer responded. “Oh, that’s awesome.” “They had some flag they were waving when they were up at the top,” the officer said. “And he just proposed to her.” The building’s broadcast antenna — which emits high-frequency radio signals powerful enough to harm the human body — had to be powered down for about 30 minutes before officers with the NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit could safely approach the climbers, according to the criminal complaint against the couple.

Officers wearing harnesses then climbed roughly 1,250 feet above the ground to reach the pair. Damage to a broken security door lock on the 104th floor is estimated at about $2,000, according to the complaint. “Stay where you are,” an officer said in bodycam video recorded high above the city. “How are you doing?

Can you just stay where you are… You can’t be up here,” the officer said. “I’m OK,” the woman responded, her face blurred by police in the video. Nikolau and Kuznetsov face charges that include burglary, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief, according to the criminal complaint.

The charges are not bail-eligible under New York law, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. An attorney for the couple, Jason Krinsky, said outside the courtroom where they were arraigned that the district attorney’s office overcharged his clients.

He said it was “premature” for him to make a statement. “We’re going to deal with this in the court, in the proper channels of the court,” he said. “I mean, come on, what a, what a way to propose…” Krinsky added. “You gotta give him some credit for that.” NYPD Chief Michael LiPetri said the “serious felony charges” send a message. “There’s going to be consequences,” he added. A spokesperson for the Empire State Building called the stunt “unauthorized” and thanked the NYPD for its help. “There was at no time danger to tenants, visitors, and Empire State Building Observation Deck guests,” the spokesperson said in a statement to CNN.

After court Thursday, reporters asked Kuznetsov why they chose the “power of love” message on their banner. “Because we believe in love,” he said. On a steamy July afternoon when temperatures reached 100 degrees in Central Park, Nikolau and Kuznetsov – who reside in New Jersey – held hands as they walked away from the downtown courthouse.

After the couple made their way from the courthouse to a nearby subway station – followed by reporters and photographers – they stopped on the subway steps and shared a long kiss.