(NEW YORK) –A daredevil couple who climbed to the top of the Empire State Building on Wednesday were given supervised release following a brief court appearance Thursday as investigators revealed new details on how they ascended to the top of the spire.
Angelina Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, both Russians with a current address in East Orange, New Jersey, were held overnight at 100 Centre Street, where Manhattan Criminal Court is located.
The couple was charged with 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,” the judge said.
Jason Krinsky, an attorney who is representing the couple, said the district attorney’s office “overcharged” the case.
The couple appeared in court wearing the same black outfits they had during their stunt. Their next court appearance is August 24.
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.
Kuznetsov, who is also known as Ivan Beerkus, appeared to propose to his longtime girlfriend before they were taken into custody.
Both face multiple charges — including burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, violation of a local law, criminal tampering, disorderly conduct and possession of burglar’s tools — according to police.
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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