(NEW YORK) — A daredevil couple who climbed to the top of the Empire State Building on Wednesday appeared to have broken through a door to get to the antenna, investigators revealed Thursday before the pair was given a supervised release.
Officers could not go up to the couple during their stunt, which ended with one of the climbers proposing to the other, because they had to power the antenna down for safety, investigators said.
Angelina Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, both Russians with a current address in East Orange, New Jersey, were charged with multiple felonies in Manhattan Criminal Court including reckless endangerment, burglary and other charges. They did not enter a plea.
“We will do supervised release. We will do it at a low level,” a judge said Thursday.
Still despite the serious charges and dangerous aspects of their stunt, the two were all smiles and kissed for cameras on Thursday as the newly engaged pair left court.
“We love New York,” Kuznetsov said after the court appearance.
Kuznetsov told detectives he had to “do something special for his engagement,” according to the complaint.
Jason Krinsky, an attorney who is representing the couple, said the district attorney’s office “overcharged” the case.
“They are trying to send a message,” Krinsky said after the court appearance about the prosecutors’ charges.
“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 appeared in court wearing the same black outfits they had during their stunt. Their next court appearance is August 24.
They held hands and smiled after they left court and barely spoke to reporters who asked questions about the stunt and their wedding plans.
Just before the couple entered a subway, they posed for cameras with a long kiss.
The DA’s criminal complaint provided more details on how the couple allegedly climbed their way to the 1,454 foot peak of the building.
The complaint alleges that a lock on the security door to the Empire State Building’s 104th floor, which provides access to the building’s broadcast antenna, was broken.
An officer told prosecutors that there was an additional safety risk for the couple and first responders as the antenna “emits high-frequency radio signals that are powerful enough to cause harm to the human body,” the criminal complaint said.
“As a result, the antenna was powered down before members of the NYPD Emergency Services Unit could approach the two individuals on and around the broadcast antenna,” the criminal complaint said.
First responders had to wait 30 minutes while the antenna powered down before they could approach the couple, according to the complaint.
Nikolau and Kuznetsov, who have gained an online following for their death-defying skyscraper climbs around the world, stayed on top of the structure for several minutes as cameras rolled on the action before they came down the spire, the New York Police Department said.
They unfurled a black banner with an apparent reference to a Jimi Hendrix quote and said in white letters, “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.”
Kuznetsov, who is also known as Ivan Beerkus, appeared to propose to his longtime girlfriend before they were taken into custody.
They posted close up photos of the proposal and the ring on social media before they were taken into custody.
Security was supposed to have been strengthened following previous attempts by trespassers to take selfies near the spire.
Officials said they believe the two may have observed building employees and used a worker entrance to get around the screening.
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