Two trespassers scale Empire State Building to fly peace banner and kiss

Inja News جولای 1, 2026 2 minutes read

Two people were taken into police custody Wednesday afternoon after climbing to the top of New York City’s famed Empire State Building, where they unfurled a peace banner and appeared to start making out.

The pair, a man and a woman in dark outfits and masks, displayed a flag that read: “When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace.”

In one especially surreal moment, the man got down on one knee and appeared to propose to the woman. The two embraced and kissed as NBC New York helicopters circled overhead.

The two eventually made their way down to street level, where they were taken into law enforcement custody, according to New York Police Department spokesperson Delaney Kempner.

Two people holding a black flag with white lettering on top of the Empire State Building in New York on Wednesday.NBC New York

Two people atop the Empire State Building in New York on July 1, 2026. — Two people atop the Empire State Building in New York on Wednesday.NBC New York

It was not immediately clear how the two people ascended to the top of the building, one of the city’s marquee tourist attractions. The couple scaled a 200-foot spire atop the 1,250-foot skyscraper, the sixth-tallest building in the country.

The climbers were not reported injured from the climb, according to police. Authorities are investigating the incident and charges are pending.

Videos recorded by nearby onlookers captured the confusion at the scene as the pair stood atop the tower. In air traffic control audio reviewed by NBC News, an unidentified person can be heard asking: “What’s all the hoopla going on over there?”

“Geniuses climbed to the top of the Empire State Building, the top of the spire,” someone says.

Someone replies: “A little hot for that, isn’t it?”

The incident comes as New York City grapples with a heat wave and an influx of visitors for World Cup matches and the July Fourth holiday weekend.

The city is also readying for the possibility of pop star Taylor Swift and football player Travis Kelce’s wedding at Madison Square Garden.

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