NEW YORK, July 2 (Our New York News) — New York police took two people into custody Wednesday after they climbed to the top of the Empire State Building and unfurled a banner, with authorities saying charges were pending and no one was hurt.
The NYPD said its Emergency Services Unit responded to the scene and that the pair were detained without incident. Police sources told CBS News New York the people could face trespass and reckless endangerment charges, but no complaint or arrest paperwork was included in the information reviewed.
Video and images from the scene showed a banner reading, “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.”
An Empire State Building spokesperson said the climb was an unauthorized incident that was resolved in coordination with police. The spokesperson said there was no threat to tenants, visitors or guests on the building’s observation deck.
USA Today reported that streets near 5th Avenue and 34th Street were closed during the response. Other reports said the two began descending after reaching the top shortly after noon and were taken into custody around 1 p.m.
The NYPD did not immediately release the pair’s names. Some outlets reported that law-enforcement sources identified them as Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, and Angelina Nikolau, 33, while other reports said the climbers appeared to identify themselves online as Ivan Beerkus and Angela Nikolau.
