NEW YORK (WABC) — A man and woman took their love to new heights, but it also took them to jail and now court Thursday morning.
The lovebirds made headlines and captivated the city for climbing to the of the Empire State Building and then getting engaged.
The couple, 32-year-old Ivan Kuznetsov and 33-year-old Angelina Nikolau, was arraigned Thursday morning after spending the first night of their engagement in separate holding cells.
They appeared before a judge wearing the same black clothes they were seen climbing in on Wednesday.
They received a supervised release until their next court date August 24.
“We will do supervised release. We will do it at a low level,” the judge said.
Cameras were rolling as the newly engaged couple shared a kiss as they entered the Chambers Street subway station after leaving court.
The couple climbed the spire of the Empire State Building Wednesday and police are trying to figure out how they did it.
Angela Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov were walked out of Midtown Precinct South after being charged on Wednesday night.
Video captured the couple as they were walked out of an NYPD police precinct in Midtown on Wednesday.
Kuznetsov, also known as Beerkus, and Nikolau are from Moscow and they’re well known for scaling some of the world’s tallest structures.
Wednesday, when they climbed the Empire State Building, they held up a banner. It had a Jimi Hendrix quote on it, “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.”
On the way down, Kuznetsov proposed to Nikolau.
It happened as the couple came down from the 1,454 feet spire of Empire State Building.
Their friend said, “Angela texted me, she’s like, ‘Hey, look at the window,’ and I’m like, ‘What?’ And I saw them, and I was like, this is just insane.”
The NYPD’s highly skilled Emergency Service Unit scaled the spire to help bring them down.
The NYPD has released body camera footage of the two people who are in custody after trespassing and climbing the Empire State Building.
Kuznetsov and Nikolau are facing numerous charges following their stunt including burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, violation of local laws, possession of burglar’s tools, criminal tampering, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.
Now, investigators are looking into how this happened.
“They didn’t just stumble into that hatch. There was what we would call pre-observational surveillance. Someone cased the joint if you will,” said Greg Sanfilippo, Vice President, Doyle Security Services.
Nikolau and Kuznetsov are known for their daredevil climbs around the world. In fact, they were profiled in the 2024 documentary “Skywalkers: A Love Story,” currently available on Netflix.
In a statement, 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.”
Daredevils have previously climbed the antenna and other parts of the Empire State Building. Those ascents have largely been unauthorized, but actor and musician Jared Leto was allowed to climb up to the base of the antenna from the 86th floor in 2023 to promote a tour.
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