Empire State Building climbers in court after proposal

Ivan Kuznetsov and Angelina Nikolau appeared in a New York court on August 24 after climbing the Empire State Building's antenna during a July 1 stunt in which Kuznetsov appeared to propose.

Kuznetsov, 32, and Nikolau, 33, face charges including reckless endangerment, burglary and criminal mischief. They have not entered a plea.

During the climb, the pair wore black outfits with their faces covered and unfurled a banner. At the top of the building, Kuznetsov went down on one knee and appeared to propose before the pair kissed and embraced as news helicopters circled.

At the brief hearing, they stood quietly behind their lawyers and held hands. Outside court, they kissed in front of journalists and onlookers.

The couple have built an online following for climbing exploits and appeared in the Netflix documentary "Skywalkers: A Love Story," which showed them scaling Malaysia's Merdeka 118.

In Instagram posts, they have defended the Empire State Building climb as art and said they would respect the court process and accept the consequences of their choices.

A further hearing was scheduled for September 29. The Empire State Building has a public observation deck, but access to higher points is forbidden.