Rooftopping daredevils Ivan Beerkus and Angela Nikolau unfurled a banner and proposed atop the Empire State Building July 1, stunning onlookers and prompting police action. The couple now face charges including reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, burglar
When Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus reached the top of the Empire State Building on July 1. it wasn’t just the height that made headlines—it was what they did with the moment. Up on the structure’s 1. 454-foot-tall antenna. they unfurled a banner that read. “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.”.
A short time later, Beerkus, 32, proposed to Nikolau, 33.
The stunt drew intense attention from onlookers and required police to shut down the streets surrounding the area. But for Beerkus and Nikolau. the climb has become part of a broader pattern—one now matched by serious legal trouble. They now face charges of reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, burglary, and “BASE jumping.”.
The couple. Russian daredevils known for scaling impossibly high buildings without ropes or other safety gear. have said the risks are personal and deliberate rather than reckless for its own sake. And their Empire State moment is also tied to a bigger media push: ahead of the release of their Netflix documentary. “Skywalkers: A Love Story. ” in 2024. they have previously spoken about their future in the sport of rooftopping.
In that earlier interview, they described their lives before the cameras—how the practice began, what it means to them, and why quitting sounds easier than it is.
Beerkus said he had a fear of heights when he was young. but wanted to challenge himself. which is how rooftopping came into his life. Nikolau. a gymnast and the child of circus performers. described the pursuit as grounded as much in personal fortitude as in performance. She said her grandmother told her. “Every woman in our bloodline is strong. ” and that she was raised to avoid showing weakness.
In “Skywalkers: A Love Story. ” the duo vows to each other that Merdeka 118—an approximately 2. 227-foot building in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia. that they climbed in 2022—will be their final climb. But both admitted the promise wasn’t absolute. In the real world. Nikolau said. every time they land in a new city. they can’t help noticing the roofs. “We can talk about quitting. but you put a new roof in front of us and we get excited. ” she said.
Beerkus added a practical reason for how they’ve tried to adjust their behavior. Nikolau can have “panic attacks on unstable buildings,” so they said they try not to climb on cranes anymore. Still, even when their choices narrow, the urge to chase unusual views doesn’t disappear. “We are more looking for unusual roofs to provide unusual photos,” Beerkus said.
The legal stakes now match the magnitude of what they’ve been doing. Bodycam footage released by the NYPD shows the arrest of the trespassers who climbed to the top of the Empire State Building.
In their conversations about fear, Nikolau and Beerkus framed the risk of climbing as something they consider worth it. Nikolau shared that her cousin died at 18 from an embolism. and she said it taught her she wanted “to live my life to the fullest.” She posed the question in stark terms: “What’s better. live long and smolder like a coal. or burn bright like a fire?. I want to burn bright.”.
Beerkus agreed with a similar contrast. “You can live 100 years but if your life is boring, it’s not the same. We want to live these bright moments to the fullest. We consider ourselves artists, we want to show others what it’s like to pursue your passions.”
Their relationship, they said, has been shaped by the same intensity that drives them toward dangerous heights. Beerkus called their Merdeka climb something that made their bond stronger. and he described it as unusual even by their standards. “We are maybe one in a billion who found each other,” he said. He added that before their climb they shared “whatever secrets we had” the night before. saying it “really solidified our relationship so much more.”.
At the same time, he characterized their day-to-day life as recognizably imperfect. He said they are “a normal couple with everyday quarrels. ” and that watching their journey on screen reminded them “we have to choose each other every day.” He said it is “not about the roofs and the big emotions. ” but about “how you treat each other every day.”.
They also addressed the future beyond climbing. Nikolau teased about having children together, saying, “I come from a crazy circus family. So you can draw your own conclusions.”
For young fans who might want to follow in their footsteps, Nikolau delivered a direct warning. “Don’t do it. it’s dangerous.” She said the same caution applies to sports like gymnastics or skiing or skydiving—acknowledging risk without romanticizing it. Her message, she said, is for kids to decide what they want to do and “stick to your guns.”.
Now. after the Empire State proposal and the police response that followed. those words land against a backdrop of charges that include reckless endangerment. criminal mischief. burglary. and “BASE jumping.” The couple’s public story remains about passion. fear. and devotion—but the next chapter for Beerkus and Nikolau will be shaped. at least in part. by the courts.
Empire State Building Ivan Beerkus Angela Nikolau rooftopping Skywalkers: A Love Story Netflix NYPD bodycam reckless endangerment criminal mischief burglary BASE jumping Merdeka 118