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Empire State Building climbing: 2 in custody
Two people are in custody after an alleged proposal on top of the Empire State building. The duo raised a flag promoting world peace. The flag said: "When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace."
NEW YORK - Two people, now in custody, climbed to the top of the Empire State Building on Wednesday afternoon, holding a banner.
One of the people then appeared to pull an engagement ring out of a backpack, get down on one knee and propose, according to FOX News.
RELATED: LIVE: People climb to top of Empire State Building spire for flag-raising proposal
Two people climbed to the top of the Empire State Building on Wednesday afternoon and unfurled a banner. (Credit: WNYW)
What does the banner say?
What they're saying:
The banner displayed a quote widely attributed to legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix: "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."
The message is commonly associated with promoting peace, compassion, and unity over conflict and the pursuit of power.
What we know about the climbers
Dig deeper:
It remains unclear how the couple managed to scale the building.
Dressed in black and wearing masks — but not tethers, it appeared — the two balanced on a narrow ledge and appeared to kiss atop the New York skyscraper's antenna, which rises 1,454 feet above midtown Manhattan, news helicopter video showed.
Just after 12:30 p.m., they began to climb down, efficiently picking their way along the latticework of metal to a wider ledge, where one seemed to set up a piece of electronic equipment and got down on one knee.
Police took the two climbers into custody after 1 p.m.; their names weren't immediately released. No one was injured, police said.
After the two kissed again and hugged, the other person took selfies with an outstretched left hand, as if examining a ring.
Approximately 40 police officers remain stationed outside, while additional officers are directing traffic around the area.
The Fifth Avenue entrance between West 33rd and 34th streets has been closed.
Pedestrians gathered on nearly every corner surrounding the building, watching as the situation unfolded.
Two people climbed to the top of the Empire State Building on Wednesday afternoon, where they unfurled a banner. (Credit: WNYW)
Local perspective:
Onlookers gaped from the sidewalks near the Art Deco high-rise.
"It's crazy — it's like being in the movies," said Jonathan Roman, a tourist visiting from Glasgow, Scotland. He and his 15-year-old son had tickets to go up to one of the observation platforms but arrived to find the building blocked off because of the antenna activity.
Still, the spectacle was "probably more exciting than going up to the viewing platform for the second time," Roman reasoned.
What is the Empire State Building?
Big picture view:
The Empire State Building, which has 102 floors, is 1,454 feet from the tip of its antenna. The iconic building was built in just 410 days, opening on April 11, 1931. It held the title for tallest building for 40 years, until being surpassed by the World Trade Center in 1970.
It is the fourth-tallest building in New York City, the sixth-tallest in the United States, and the 43rd-tallest building in the world.
There was no immediate reply to a message to the building's management.
Daredevils have previously climbed the antenna and other parts of the Empire State Building. Those ascents have largely been unauthorized, but actor and musician Jared Leto was allowed to climb up to the base of the antenna from the 86th floor in 2023 to promote a tour.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story came from on-scene reporting and observations, video from WNYW, reporting by FOX News, and publicly available background information about the Empire State Building. This story was reported from Los Angeles.