Updated
Updated · Fox News · Nov 11
Empire State Building Climbers Discuss Plea Deal as Couple, 33 and 32, Say They Were Ready to Die
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Nov 11

Empire State Building Climbers Discuss Plea Deal as Couple, 33 and 32, Say They Were Ready to Die

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Nov 11

Summary

  • Angelina Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, emerged from a Tuesday status hearing with their lawyer confirming talks with Manhattan prosecutors over a possible plea deal.
  • In an ABC interview aired Wednesday, the couple said they are ready to take responsibility for the July Empire State Building climb, which they called art, and said they had been willing to die for it.
  • The pair said they bought tickets, hid inside the building overnight and climbed to display a black flag reading, "when the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace," before Kuznetsov proposed.
  • They said they felt they owed an apology only to NYPD officers and emergency personnel sent to bring them down, while also acknowledging the stunt was dangerous and that there are other ways to express themselves.
  • The case returns to court Thursday as the viral climb continues to move from social-media spectacle toward a criminal resolution.

Insights

Could the daredevil couple's defense that their illegal skyscraper climb was victimless art successfully reduce their multiple felony charges?
How did two Netflix documentary stars evade overnight security at the Empire State Building to livestream a dangerous marriage proposal?
Will the heavy felony charges against these viral climbers set a new legal precedent for punishing extreme social media stunts?