NYPD bodycam footage shows officers arresting Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus after they climbed the Empire State Building on July 1, where an apparent proposal led to a dramatic end. The couple now faces multiple charges including reckless endangerment.
The Empire State Building looked like a perfect stage until officers had to climb in close and physically take control.
New York City Police Department bodycam footage released from the NYPD shows the arrest of Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus. a thrill-seeking couple who climbed the 1. 500-foot-tall building on Wednesday. July 1. Once they reached the top. Beerkus seemingly proposed to Nikolau. and the two later shared photos on Instagram with the caption “Empire State Building. New York.”.
In the video posted on X by Jessica S. Tisch. police commissioner of the city of New York. with the caption “A glimpse into the work of our Emergency Service Unit. God bless these officers,” two officers appear to approach the pair. One officer asks the couple, “How you doing?” and tells them to stay where they were. “You can’t be up here. ” the officer says before climbing up a few more steps and getting close enough to grab Nikolau’s arm.
Nikolau raises her hands, says “I’m OK,” and turns around with her hands behind her back. The officers then have to shuffle around a bit to take the couple into custody. One officer moves Nikolau over so Beerkus can climb down.
Nikolau, 33, and Beerkus, 32, were arrested and charged with reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, violation of local law, possession of burglar’s tools, criminal tampering, criminal trespass, and disorderly conduct, the NYPD confirmed on July 2.
The arrest capped a day that earlier had been captured as a “power of love” moment. Video captured earlier that day showed Beerkus proposing atop the building. After Nikolau accepted the apparent proposal, the pair embraced, shared a kiss, and posed for photos.
Photos of the couple also showed them at the very top of the structure, flying a flag or banner that read “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.”
Even before the Empire State Building arrest, Nikolau and Beerkus had built a media presence around skywalking. The couple was featured in the 2024 Netflix documentary “Skywalkers: A Love Story. ” which documented their journey climbing the 118-story megatall skyscraper. Merdeka 118. in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia. In the documentary. Beerkus told Nikolau. “Before you. I thought rooftopping was for personal achievement. ” adding that when he met her. he realized it was “an art form.”.
He described skywalking with her as something they had “begun to create. ” saying. “You and I have begun to create very beautiful things.” Nikolau. speaking in the film. called their relationship “the modern-day version of a traveling circus…coming soon to a city near you.” She compared love to climbing and heights. saying. “It’s scary. ” but that you learn to face it “head-on.”.
She credits skywalking and her partner, whom she calls Vanya, with teaching her an important lesson. “I thought Vanya was put in my life to teach me to skywalk, but now I see that skywalking was put into my life to teach me how to love,” she said.
The bodycam footage and the charges bring that story to a hard stop at a different kind of height: the point where a romantic climb turns into a custody decision. For the couple. the dramatic proposal and banner message are now tied to a legal case carrying allegations that include reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct.
Empire State Building NYPD bodycam Angela Nikolau Ivan Beerkus skywalking reckless endangerment criminal trespass disorderly conduct Jessica S. Tisch