The man and woman who climbed to the top of the Empire State Building spire have been identified.
A couple reportedly illegally scaled the iconic landmark building on Wednesday (July 1) in New York City, where they got engaged as news helicopters flew around them capturing the climb.
Ivan “Vanya” Beerkus and Angela Nikolau are the stars of Netflix’s documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story and they’re known for death-defying stunts in which they climb skyscrapers without wearing harnesses or safety gear.
JUST IN: After two people climbed to the top of the Empire State Building and unfurled a banner on top of its spire Wednesday afternoon, one of the climbers appeared to propose to the other. https://t.co/ngG3jOeTBU pic.twitter.com/PhubQpnRH6
— ABC News (@ABC) July 1, 2026
At one point, Beerkus got down on one knee and proposed to Nikolau. They shared photos of her wearing the engagement ring in a post on Instagram.
While standing at the top of the ESB’s spire, the couple held up a flag that read, “When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace.”
After the release of Skywalkers in 2024, Ivan and Angela moved to New York City and opened up about their plans for living in the Big Apple.
At the time, they told Variety, “Per the conditions of our visa, we aren’t allowed to do anything illegal in this country. So, follow us on Instagram to see what happens! [Laughs] Even when we were trespassing in Asia, we couldn’t tell people ahead of time. We couldn’t say, ‘This is a building we’re going to climb,’ because there is competition and law enforcement. In America specifically, it’s not something you can get away with as easily as in other countries.”
NBC New York reports that the couple is currently in police custody.
The post Empire State Building Climbers Identified as Netflix’s ‘Skywalkers’ Subjects; Ivan Beerkus & Angela Nikolau Got Engaged on ESB’s Spire appeared first on Just Jared - Celebrity News and Gossip | Entertainment.