New York City residents were stunned Wednesday when two masked climbers, identified as Ivan Beerkus and Angela Nikolau from Russia, scaled the Empire State Building just after noon.
The New York Police Department confirmed via social media that they closed streets near 5th Avenue and 34th Street in Manhattan to manage the incident. Officers later took both individuals into custody.
During their climb, the pair unfurled a banner reading: “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.”
A woman described rumors that one of the climbers proposed to the other during the ascent. Stephanie Hazelwood said, “I don’t really know exactly what it is. It just seems like an attention thing and art, maybe.”
The NYPD has not yet disclosed any charges against the climbers.
