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Published 08:46 02 Jul 2026 GMT
Bodycam footage shows the moment NYPD confronted a couple who climbed to the very top of New York City's Empire State Building.
Angela Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Beerkus, 32, scaled the iconic skyscraper's 1,454-foot spire before unfurling a large banner that read: "When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace."
The extreme stunt ended with Beerkus dropping to one knee to propose. After Nikolau accepted, the couple shared a kiss before beginning their descent.
The Russian nationals remained atop the building for at least 10 minutes before officers intercepted them.
Bodycam footage captures police confrontation
A video released by the New York Police Department shows members of the Emergency Service Unit climbing the antenna's interior ladders before reaching the couple.
As officers approached, one could be heard saying: "How you doing? You can't be up here!" Nikolau then responds: "I'm OK."
The couple cooperated with officers and climbed down calmly before being taken into custody once they reached the ground.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch later shared the footage on social media, writing: "A glimpse into the work of our Emergency Services Unit. God bless these officers."
The NYPD confirmed that both climbers had been arrested.
According to BBC News, Nikolau and Beerkus face many charges, such as burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, trespass, and disorderly conduct.
During the operation, the Empire State Building reportedly shut down its high-frequency antenna transmission to prevent the couple from being exposed to dangerous radio waves.
Officials have not confirmed exactly how the pair, who were dressed entirely in black and wearing masks despite masks being banned for visitors, managed to access the building.
However, preliminary information obtained by CBS from law enforcement sources suggests they went through a maintenance hatch on the tower's 103rd floor, which is usually used for water tower maintenance.
A spokesperson for the Empire State Building described the climb as an "unauthorized incident" but said it posed no danger to tenants, visitors or guests on the observation deck beneath the spire.
"It is to be emphasized that the Empire State Building Observation Deck, atop the World's Most Famous Building in the center of New York City, does offer a practical way for the most memorable marriage proposals," the spokesperson added.
Nikolau and Beerkus have built an online following through their extreme "rooftopping" stunts, which include scaling skyscrapers and other towering structures around the world, such as Kuala Lumpur's Merdeka 118, often without permission and any safety equipment.
Their adventures were documented in the 2024 Netflix film Skywalkers: A Love Story, directed by Jeff Zimbalist and co-directed by Maria Bukhonina. The film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
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Published 11:34 04 Jan 2018 GMT
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Published 11:13 07 Aug 2021 GMT
A man has been arrested for allegedly flying his drone into the 7 World Trade Center for a YouTube video.
Per Daily Mail, 22-year-old Adam Ismail, a self-described "CEO, Crypto Investor, and Videographer/Photographer" crashed his drone into the Manhattan building at approximately 3 pm on Monday, August 2.
In a video posted to his official Instagram account, the vlogger claimed that his $1,200 DJA Air 2s drone smashed into a window panel on the third floor, where it became stuck.
Ismail says he then went to the building to see if he could get his drone back, but the building’s manager and chief engineer informed him that it was unlikely to be returned.
The Texan tourist added that he was later interviewed for six hours by NYPD's Counter-Terrorism cops. After that, he was contacted by the FBI, who also scheduled him for an interview.
In the video above, Ismail testified: "They interview me, ask me a few questions: where am I from, what am I doing, why am I in New York, and just the series of events that took place and everything.
"I've been asked the same questions more than I can count on two hands so they can confirm I’m not BS-ing my story and I'm here to do what I said I was doing.
"Everybody was a good sport. I didn’t give the cops a hard time, and they didn’t give me a hard time. They just had to check that I was doing what I said I was doing."
He added that the operating system of the DJA - which typically doesn't allow pilots to fly their drones in restricted areas - didn't notify him that the area was off-limits.
Daily Mail reports that Ismail was inspired to travel to NYC to film with his drone for a personal travel video by a fountain near the Oculus and the World Trade Center - which was rebuilt after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Meanwhile, New York Daily News reports that Port Authority Police Department issued Ismail with a small summons for violating the city code preventing personal drone use.
Published 15:04 07 Oct 2025 GMT
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) took to Instagram on October 6 to share a video capturing the moment two subway surfers were caught in the act by a police drone.
The footage was posted in response to a rising number of subway surfing incidents, including a tragic accident that claimed the lives of two teenagers earlier in the week.
In the clip, a drone spots two teens attempting to climb onto a moving subway train.
However, before they could successfully subway surf, NYPD officers intervened by halting the train at the station, preventing a potentially fatal situation.
The caption accompanying the post warned of the dangers, stating: "Subway surfing kills. That's why we are using every tool possible to save lives."
"When our drones spotted two teenagers attempting to subway surf, our officers acted immediately by safely stopping the train before it could depart," the department said, ending with a safety reminder: “Ride inside and stay alive.”
The video release comes just days after the tragic deaths of two young girls in Brooklyn, Zemfira Mukhtarov, 12, and Ebba Morina, 13, who were discovered on top of a Brooklyn-bound J train at the Marcy Avenue-Broadway subway station in Williamsburg on the morning of October 4, around 3:10AM.
Both girls were pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses reported that the girls, along with a group of about 15 teens, had been running around inside the train before making their way onto the roof.
Officers later spoke with three teenage boys at the station, taking two of them into custody.
Zemfira’s father, Ruslan Mukhtarov, posted a heartfelt message on GoFundMe, asking for support in covering funeral and memorial costs.
"She was 12 and she had to have her [13th birthday] in just 2 weeks, full of life, and taken from us far too soon," he wrote.
“No parent should ever have to face the pain of losing a child.”
The grief felt by the families was echoed by residents, with some voicing their frustration.
Duran Walker, a local, expressed doubt that these deaths would stop other teens from attempting the dangerous stunt.
"Even though two kids just passed away, they’re going to still do it. It don’t stop, unfortunately," he said, per New York Post.
Subway surfing, the act of riding on top or clinging to the sides of moving trains, has surged in popularity, fueled by videos circulating on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
Despite the obvious dangers, many teens are drawn to the thrill of the stunt, leading to a rising number of fatalities in 2025.
The deaths of Zemfira and Ebba bring the total number of subway surfing fatalities to six this year alone, matching the total number of deaths in 2024.
New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow called the deaths "heartbreaking," urging parents, teachers, and friends to educate their loved ones about the dangers of subway surfing.
"Getting on top of a subway car isn’t ‘surfing’ - it’s suicide," he stated.
"I’m thinking of both the grieving families, and transit workers who discovered these children, all of whom have been horribly shaken by this tragedy."
The MTA has launched a “Ride Inside, Stay Alive” campaign and partnered with social media platforms to remove videos glorifying the dangerous trend.
The NYPD has also taken proactive steps, deploying drones to monitor subway rooftops and elevated tracks since November 2023.
Published 14:24 25 May 2025 GMT
A New York City cop who became the center of a topless photo scandal has officially been fired — and she’s not going quietly.
Alisa Bajraktarevic, 34, was dismissed from the NYPD on May 2 following a storm of controversy that included a lawsuit, accusations of sexual harassment, and a run-in involving her alleged drug dealer boyfriend, per The New York Post.
Her firing comes two years after she was suspended for 30 days when she allegedly tried to stop officers from searching her then-partner’s car in the Bronx.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch made the decision to terminate Bajraktarevic, who had worked in the Robbery Squad. The former officer from Yonkers claims her ousting wasn’t just disciplinary — she says it’s revenge.
Bajraktarevic, who spent 12 years on the force, is suing the department over a topless photo she said was shared in a group chat by a fellow officer she briefly dated. According to her lawsuit, she sent the image to Lt. Mark Rivera, who allegedly blasted it out to other cops. She says the photo spread rapidly within the department.
“There is no doubt that our client’s internal complaints of sexual harassment, the unlawful dissemination of a naked photograph of her, and her lawsuit against the NYPD were the true motivating factors behind her termination,” her lawyer John Scola said, according to The New York Post. “We are confident that once this matter is adjudicated …. the retaliatory nature of her discharge will be fully exposed.”
Adding to the drama, Bajraktarevic also claimed in court filings that another supervisor sexually harassed her in 2022. Her Instagram and Reddit accounts, which feature numerous provocative photos — including one captioned “Thick police officer” and another of her in a thong bikini sunbathing in Cancun — have only fueled public attention.
Back in 2023, officers stopped her boyfriend Kelvin Hernandez, 33, during a narcotics investigation. Bajraktarevic, who was on the scene, tried to intervene and told officers he wasn’t selling drugs. A source said, “Narcotics had been watching him. They didn’t know who she was until she stepped up and said who she was.”
Hernandez was charged with resisting arrest and is also pursuing legal action against the NYPD.
The department confirmed her firing but declined to elaborate. Meanwhile, Bajraktarevic continues to fight back, alleging her career was sabotaged from within the same organization she served for over a decade.
"Jason Melo assaulted his former girlfriend, then forced her to walk naked, in the middle of winter, down a public street while their two-month-old baby was left unattended upstairs," he said.
"To further degrade her, he recorded the ordeal, then had the audacity to brag about his actions, sharing the video with multiple friends and even attempting to profit from it.
"This defendant has never demonstrated an ounce of remorse for his disgusting and violent conduct. I thank the survivor in this case for her incredible bravery in coming forward and testifying against her former domestic partner at trial. Thankfully, because of her courage, he is being held accountable." When he was first apprehended, Melo attempted to defend his actions by saying, "I didn't hit her or anything. Even the detectives are here with me and some of them congratulated me because they see how happy she is and I didn't pull her hair or anything." He also stated, "Some of the other prisoners are also on my side and they say some of them would have done worse things." Melo has since been charged with felony coercion and assault, as well as endangering the welfare of a child. He faces up to seven years behind bars for the first count.Published 15:33 19 Jul 2021 GMT
A brave officer rescuing a distraught six-year-old girl who had been allegedly kidnapped by a stranger was caught on a bodycam.
It was reported on July 2 that a stranger pulled up and got out of his vehicle in Valley Station, Louisville, before grabbing a little girl from her bicycle.
The stranger subsequently threw her into the car by the collar and drove away.
A father and son who witnessed the ordeal immediately got into their own car and began following the kidnapper as they called 911.
Watch the dramatic bodycam footage of the moment the suspect is confronted below:Officer Beth Ruoff of Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) told The Epoch Times that they were able to give police "a very detailed" account of the event.
This included a description of the red Dodge Challenger and its driver as well as partially deciphering a license plate.
Several officers were then dispatched from the LMPD’s third division, according to the statement, and K9 and airborne units followed to help with the rescue.
Officer Jason Burba and Sergeant Joe Keeling were able to get the young girl back where she belonged within half an hour.
Officer Burba's bodycam footage shows him running toward the alleged kidnapper's car, opening the door, and rescuing the crying child.
As she held onto her rescuer, the girl wept: "I want my Daddy!"
She was reunited with her family shortly after making this heartbreaking statement.
The suspect was taken into custody and charged with kidnapping a minor, but he pled not guilty, WAVE 3 News reported.
He is now being held on a $1 million bond.
"It's like the world stops… every second feels like hours," Officer Burba told Wave 3 News of the rescue.
He explained that because the passenger window of the car was so dark, he had no idea what he would find when he opened it.
The LMPD's incident report shared with The Epoch Times revealed that the suspect had no relationship or connection with the girl.
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