love is in the air
On Wednesday, a man and woman dressed in black successfully scaled the Empire State Building illegally and are believed to have been involved in the process. The couple has been identified as Russian rooftop craftsmen Ivan “Vanya” Bielkas and Angela Nikolaou, who star in Netflix’s 2024 documentary “Skywalkers: A Love Story.”
The deadly duo, known for climbing tall buildings without ropes or harnesses, were spotted 1,454 feet above the ground clutching the antenna of the iconic midtown Manhattan building, drawing news helicopters and 911 calls.
Mr. Bielkas and Mr. Nicolau spent about 30 minutes on the roof of the Empire State Building waving a giant flag that read, “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world knows peace.” The pair appeared to be engaged as Bielkas got down on one knee and placed a ring on Nicolaou’s finger. The two posted a photo of their proposal on Instagram.
According to NBC New York, the happy couple is currently in police custody.
It’s unclear how exactly Bielkas and Nicolau were able to scale the 102-story building, but if “Skywalker” is any indication, they probably spent months training for the stunt. Bielkas and Nicolaou documented their climb to Malaysia’s 2,227-foot Merdeka Tower, the second tallest structure in the world, and filmed themselves spending about 30 hours camping inside the structure and hiding from construction workers. After completing the climb, Bielkas and Nicolaou fled Malaysia before any legal repercussions could arise.
In a 2024 interview with Variety magazine, Biercas and Nicolau said they had just moved to New York and were looking for a new adventure, teasing that there were buildings they had yet to “conquer” but “I can’t tell you what they are.”
