Netflix Daredevil Couple Arrested After Empire State Climb

A daredevil couple who starred in a 2024 Netflix documentary about climbing skyscrapers were arrested Wednesday after climbing the Empire State Building in New York City.

Angela Nikolau posted a photo of herself and Ivan Beerkus on her Instagram account as they stood on the spire and antenna at the top of the Empire State Building. The photo shows a large banner flapping in the wind that states, “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.”

A Deputy Commissioner of Public Information spokesperson confirmed two people were taken into custody at about noon on Wednesday. The spokesperson told The Epoch Times no names had been released yet and they were awaiting charges.

Netflix posted an update on its website about the event.

“On July 1, 2026, Beerkus and Nikolau scaled the Empire State Building where they unfurled a flag that read: ‘When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace.’ On one knee, Beerkus presented a ring to Nikolau.”

A spokesperson for the Empire State Building told The Epoch Times that there was no danger to visitors because of the stunt.

“The unauthorized incident at the building has been resolved with the constructive and helpful coordination of the NYPD,” said spokesperson Brock Talbot in an email. “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.”

Netflix didn’t respond to an email seeking comment.

According to New York City law, anyone who climbs a structure that is more than 50 feet in height is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor which is punishable by up to one year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.

“Skywalkers: A Love Story” follows the Russian daredevils, who have built a following by illegally climbing some of the world’s tallest skyscrapers with little or no safety equipment.

The Netflix documentary was filmed over seven years across six countries. The film culminates with the pair scaling Malaysia’s Merdeka 118, one of the tallest buildings in the world, so they could perform an acrobatic stunt atop its spire.

The couple’s Instagram accounts show them on top of skyscrapers and other towering places, such as the top of large wind turbines.

The Empire State Building bills itself as the “World’s Most Famous Building.” At its top floor, it stands at 1,250 feet. The spire and antenna are 1,454 feet in the air. That antenna is hit by lightning, on average, 25 times a year. It is the 43rd tallest tower in the world. On a clear day, people can see six states from the building’s observatories: Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

In December 2017, a daredevil “rooftopper” named Wu Yongning filmed his own death in the Chinese city of Changsha when he lost his grip doing pull-ups for a video and fell off the top of a 62-story skyscraper.