Empire State Building daredevils says NYPD has their engagement ring

Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News on Jul 21, 2026

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NEW YORK — The daredevil couple who got engaged after climbing to the top of the Empire State Building on July 1 says the NYPD still has their bling.

“My engagement ring is still with the police,” Angela Nikolau wrote on Instagram Monday night. “So is the banner we handmade and hung from the Empire State Building.”

Nikolau and her fiancé Ivan “Vanya” Kuznetsov were arrested earlier this month after reaching the top of the nation’s most recognizable skyscraper and raising a banner reading “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.”

Nikolau, 33, and Kuznetsov, 32, were charged with burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and criminal tampering a day after completing their stunt.

Prosecutors claim Kuznetsov, who also uses the last name Beerkus, told cops after he had wanted to “do something special” when he proposed to Nikolau.

Photos show him dropping to one knee and popping the question 1,450 feet above W. 34th Street. The pair says they’ve been climbing together since 2016.

Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Anthony Giliberti accused Nikolau and Kuznetsov of participating in activities that “continually create a risk to their own lives, as well as the lives of New Yorkers and first responders.”

The Russian couple, now living in New York City, documented their love of climbing — and for one another — in the 2024 Netflix documentary “Skywalkers: A Love Story.”

Police officials couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.