Angela Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov were seen in court facing numerous charges after climbing to the top of the Empire State Building, where he popped the question in a death-defying stunt.
The newly engaged couple went viral on Wednesday, July 1, when they scaled the building to drape a massive black-and-white banner on the spire, which stands 1,454 feet above Manhattan, reading, “When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace.”
Nikolau, 33, and Kuznetsov, 32, are both charged with burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, violation of local laws, possession of burglar’s tools, criminal tampering, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct. (They have not yet entered a plea.)
They were arraigned on the morning of Thursday, July 2, after spending the night in separate holding cells, according to a report from ABC7.
They stood before a judge in the same outfits worn during their daring exploit. He was clad in a blank tank top and pants, while she had on a similar ensemble.
During the climb, she also sported a mask featuring bat-like ears that she often wears during climbs posted on the couple’s social media accounts.
Nikolau and Kuznetsov packed on the PDA as they exited court on supervised release, kissing for the cameras before they must return to address the judge again on August 24.
“As far as what I’ve seen, and I’m sure you have all seen, it was a message of love. You know, that’s a nice thing,” the couple’s attorney, Jason Krinsky, told reporters.
During the stunt, Kuznetsov proposed with a sparkling oval-cut center stone set on a slim band. Her diamond engagement ring was seen in a post shared via her grid. “@angela_nikolau and @beerkus are currently unavailable, and we knew this in advance — so this post was pre-scheduled and is now publishing automatically,” it read.
Social media users reacted to the news, one of which wrote, “SHE CLIMBED IN A FULL SET!? 💅 gurl.” Another echoed, “You just ruined proposals for the rest of us guys…”
Even the official Empire State Building account chimed in, with a caption reading, “Ladies: If he wanted to, he would… Just maybe on our 86th Floor Observation Deck.”
Nikolau’s father, Dmitry Nikolau, told ABC News the couple already tied the knot and “it was a performance.”
Fans recognized the pair, who starred in the 2024 doc called Skywalkers: A Love Story before their viral stunt. “Love is like heights. The fear never goes away. You just get better at facing it,” she said in the doc.
Nikolau and Kuznetsov have reportedly been together since 2016.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.usmagazine.com ’
