Dressed in all black and defying New York law, urban climbers Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus took their viral “rooftopping” romance to the absolute pinnacle of Manhattan—and descended in police custody.
Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus starred in the 2024 Netflix documentary, “Skywalkers” (Photo: Jason Mendez/Getty Images)
Published July 1, 2026 02:19PM
“This film contains extremely dangerous and illegal activities. Do not attempt to imitate.”
That’s the opening of a 2024 Netflix documentary, Skywalkers: A Love Story, which showcases the highs and lows of a Russian daredevil couple who rose to fame by climbing what they called “the last super skyscraper on the planet,” Malaysia’s 2,227-foot building Merdeka 118, in 2022.
Now, four years later, Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus are in police custody in New York. On July 1, Nikolau, 33, and Beerkus, 32, climbed to the top of the Empire State Building and stayed on the top spire for several minutes. They unfurled a black-and-white banner that appeared to reference a Jimi Hendrix quote: “When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace.”
Clad in all black and face masks, the couple appears in photos they posted on Instagram—Beerkus is kneeling on one knee, a hand over his heart. There appears to be an engagement ring on Nikolau’s hand, a sea of skyscrapers far below.
Police closed down streets between 5th Avenue and 34th Street in Manhattan following the event, the agency said in a statement. The Empire State Building stands 1,454 feet tall from the base of its antenna to the top of its tip. According to New York law, it is illegal to “climb or attempt to climb up, down or around the exterior of a structure” exceeding 50 feet, unless the owner has granted permission for construction or maintenance.
Police have not stated what the two were arrested for.
In the Netflix documentary, Nikolau paints herself as a revolutionary daredevil, bringing women to a male-dominated field. A former gymnast-turned-climber—and the daughter of circus performers—she gained notoriety on social media for scaling the world’s tallest buildings without ropes or safety gear.
“Limits only exist in our minds,” Nikolau says in the film.
To access their feats, they describe picking locks, using staff elevators—which they say often lack security cameras—and dressing up in construction apparel to fit in. If it’s an apartment building? Dress as the locals do, they say.
“We’re not vandals,” Nikolau says in the film.
“Although technically, we are criminals,” Beerkus responds.
Nikolau and Beerkus are “rooftoppers,” a class of death-defying athletes who scale tall, often off-limits structures like skyscrapers, construction cranes, and bridges. Rooftopping, sometimes called roofing, is an extreme form of urban climbing in which participants leave their climbing and safety gear behind.
A rule the duo says they adopted is never staying on top of a building for more than 15 minutes—that gives authorities enough time to get to the scene. In Paris, the two spent the night in jail after illegally climbing the Notre Dame cathedral.
But atop an iconic skyscraper in one of the world’s largest cities, the two were quickly spotted during their July stunt. ABC 7 News in New York reported that at least two highly trained New York Police Department Emergency Service Unit officers responded to the scene, harnessed themselves, and climbed to meet Nikolau and Beerkus halfway up the spire. The two were reportedly put into custody just before 1 P.M. local time.
The NYPD is reportedly reviewing surveillance from the Empire State Building, which suggests the couple accessed the spire from the 102nd-floor maintenance hatch, possibly by breaking a lock.
“They likely had been observing staff movements,” ABC 7 News reported.
In a statement shared with ABC 7 News, the Empire State Building wrote, “There was at no time danger to tenants, visitors, and Empire State Building Observation Deck guests. It is to be emphasized that the Empire State Building Observation Deck, atop the World’s Most Famous Building in the center of New York City, does offer a practical way for the most memorable marriage proposals.”
In a post shared on Facebook, the Empire State Building pointed out that the tourist destination welcomes marriage proposals—legally, atop the observation deck.
Outside contacted the couple for comment and will update this story if one is received.
