Daredevil Couple Snuck Past Security, Hid Overnight to Reach the Empire State Building’s Spire

It wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment stunt. Angela Nikolau and her boyfriend, Ivan Kuznetsov spent hours methodically working their way to the top of the Empire State Building before their headline-grabbing proposal.

According to a report that the New York Post published on Thursday, July 2, law enforcement sources confirmed the couple bought tickets Tuesday, June 30 at 9 p.m. and likely hid inside the Midtown landmark overnight, waiting for the building to clear out before making their move.

The plan appears to have unfolded in stages. Per the outlet, surveillance footage showed the pair emerging from a hatch on the 102nd floor around 5 a.m. the next morning. From there, Kuznetsov, 32, allegedly used tools to loosen brackets securing metal cables that stretched across a stairwell, clearing a path for the couple to slip through undetected, according to the report.

As Globe previously reported, by the time they reached the antenna, more than 1,000 feet above the city, Kuznetsov was ready with a ring. He got down on one knee, and Nikolau, 33, accepted, before being taken into custody by the NYPD.

However, Nikolau notably wasn’t wearing the ring when the pair appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court the next day, the Post reported.

Their careful planning didn’t spare them legal trouble. The couple was hit with felony charges of burglary, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief, along with misdemeanor counts of possession of burglary tools, trespass and criminal tampering, per the outlet.

Defense attorney Jason Krinsky pushed back on how the case was being handled, arguing the elaborate access plan didn’t amount to the crimes prosecutors alleged.

“Even the building’s own people, the Empire State’s own people, said there was no risk to tenants, guests on the observation deck or anyone in the building,” he said, per the report. He also downplayed the burglary charge specifically, contending there was no evidence of burglary tools.

Whether the meticulous overnight infiltration reads as romantic dedication or calculated trespassing may depend on who’s asked — but for now, according to the outlet, the couple is free while the case moves through court.