Meet the Empire State Building Climbers in Netflix’s ‘Skywalkers: A Love Story’
New York City is no stranger to wild stunts and odd occurrences. Still, it’s not every day that you see two people climb the Empire State Building. It’s even more rare to watch them get engaged as the media spectacle unfolds, but that’s exactly what happened on Wednesday, July 1. Now, the couple at the heart of the stunt have been identified, and it turns out the climbers have already had one brush with fame.
The Empire State Building climbers were the focus of a Netflix documentary
The two daredevils who scaled the Empire State Building on Wednesday, unfurled a banner, and appeared to get engaged at the top have been identified as Angela Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32. The couple, who began dating several years ago, are famous for similar feats. Kuznetsov performs under the name Ivan “Vanya” Beerkus.
While their latest escapade has drawn fresh attention, the Russian couple starred in the 2024 documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story. The film, streaming on Netflix, followed the performers’ romance alongside their rope-free, harness-free climbs of some of the world’s tallest structures. The documentary focused almost exclusively on their ascent of Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, the world’s second-tallest building at 2,227 feet. It originally premiered at Sundance before Netflix acquired it.
Despite the couple’s history with the streamer, this unauthorized climb had no connection to Netflix, and the engagement was not being filmed for any upcoming project. Netflix did seize the opportunity to plug the documentary on its social media feeds, though.
The Wednesday stunt in Midtown Manhattan quickly commandeered local and national airtime, drew a police response, and sent helicopters hovering over the landmark. The couple reached the top of the spire — 1,454 feet up — where, according to their Instagram posts, Beerkus proposed. They then unfurled a black banner reading, “When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace,” a line often misattributed to Jimi Hendrix but actually spoken by 19th-century British statesman William Gladstone. Both climbers were taken into NYPD custody and charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors.
The climb was not authorized
Angela Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov gained access to a restricted platform on the Empire State Building on Wednesday afternoon. According to several sources, the couple likely broke a lock on a maintenance hatch on the 102nd floor to reach the restricted area. From there, they unfurled the peace banner before celebrating their engagement.
Onlookers some 1,400 feet below watched as helicopters circled the pair. They were brought down without incident. The Empire State Building said tenants and visitors were never in danger, and the observation deck reopened the same afternoon.
Nikolau and Kuznetsov’s climb was not authorized, as is the case for most daredevils who attempt the feat. Still, there have been sanctioned climbs. In November 2023, Jared Leto climbed from the 86th floor to the base of the antenna in an authorized promotion for his band’s tour, becoming the first person to legally scale the building. He is one of only a few who have been granted access to its exterior.
Nikolau and Kuznetsov face multiple felonies and misdemeanors, according to ABC News.
