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Two people unfurl peace banner atop NY’s Empire State Building in apparent proposal stunt

By Thomson Reuters Jul 1, 2026 | 11:38 AM

By Jonathan Allen

NEW YORK, July 1 (Reuters) – Two people climbed to the very top of the Empire State ​Building’s towering spire in New York ‌City on Wednesday to unfurl a large banner urging world peace in what soon appeared to be an elaborate marriage proposal.

The pair, dressed ‌in ​sleeveless black outfits, hung ⁠onto the landmark ⁠skyscraper’s antenna spire near the glowing red light at its top some 1,454 feet (443 metres) above the sidewalk of midtown ​Manhattan.

They held a black banner with a message in all-capital white letters ⁠that flapped in the ⁠wind: “When the power of love ​beats the love of power the world ​knows peace.”

It was not immediately clear who ‌the two people were, nor when or how they got up there. A little after 12:30 p.m., they began ⁠to slowly climb down to a slightly lower platform in the antenna structure.

They paused there: One ⁠person ‌got down on one knee, ⁠according to an aerial video feed ​by ‌a local news network, and ​then the ⁠pair embraced and appeared to kiss.

A New York Police Department spokesperson said the episode was “still developing” and the department had “nothing to add.”

(Reporting by Jonathan Allen; editing by ​Scott Malone)