2 people hang banner about ‘the power of love’ on Empire State Building antenna

2 people arrested after hanging banner about ‘the power of love’ on Empire State Building antenna 1 of 3 | A person is shown atop the spire of the Empire State Building, in New York, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) 2 of 3 | Two people descend the spire of the Empire State Building, in New York, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) 3 of 3 | Two people stand on the tip of the antenna of the Empire State Building while holding a banner on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) 1 of 3 | A person is shown atop the spire of the Empire State Building, in New York, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) 1 of 3 A person is shown atop the spire of the Empire State Building, in New York, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 2 of 3 | Two people descend the spire of the Empire State Building, in New York, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) 2 of 3 Two people descend the spire of the Empire State Building, in New York, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 3 of 3 | Two people stand on the tip of the antenna of the Empire State Building while holding a banner on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) 3 of 3 Two people stand on the tip of the antenna of the Empire State Building while holding a banner on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] New York (AP) — Two people got to the top of the Empire State Building’s antenna and unfurled a banner about “the power of love” at midday Wednesday, before starting to descend, embracing, taking selfies and ultimately being arrested.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 (443 meters) above midtown Manhattan, news helicopter video showed. The banner, reading “when the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace,” waved in the wind.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. After the two kissed again and hugged, the other person took selfies with an outstretched left hand, as if examining a ring. 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. 2 MIN READ 3 MIN READ Still, the spectacle was “probably more exciting than going up to the viewing platform for the second time,” Roman reasoned. Police took the two climbers into custody after 1 p.m.; their names weren’t immediately released. No one was injured, police said.It wasn’t clear how the pair gained access to the antenna, which rises well above public areas of the 102-story building. 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.___ This story has been corrected to show that the incident happened Wednesday, not Tuesday.