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Empire State Building daredevils laugh off stunt secret, confess how far they’d go — and who they’re sorry to

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Cite

Cairns, K. (2026, November 11). Empire State Building daredevils laugh off stunt secret, confess how far they’d go — and who they’re sorry to. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/us/empire-state-building-daredevils-laugh-off-stunt-secret-confess-how-far-theyd-go-who-theyre-sorry

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Fox News · collected 2026-11-11 · by Kelsie Cairns

Quick Summary

Angelina Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, spoke with ABC News ahead of a court hearing regarding their illegal July climb of the Empire State Building in New York City. The couple confessed that they were willing to die for the stunt, which they characterized as art, and admitted to purchasing tickets to sleep inside the building before the climb. While they expressed regret for the NYPD officers and emergency personnel who assisted them, the pair told reporters they acknowledge the danger of the act and that there are other ways to express themselves.
Written by AI on 2026-11-14, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).
See how they differ ↓

AI analysis

Story summary

Angelina Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, who illegally climbed the Empire State Building in July 2026, appeared on Good Morning America on November 11, 2026, to discuss their actions. During the climb, Kuznetsov proposed to Nikolau with a diamond ring, but Nikolau's father later revealed they were likely already married. The couple faced charges and were negotiating a plea deal with prosecutors. They laughed about purchasing tickets and sleeping overnight inside the building to carry out the climb, calling it "art." Nikolau's father has since stated the couple was probably already married, contradicting Nikolau's initial response on the show when asked if they were married.

Written for “Empire State Building Daredevils Confess” on 2026-11-14, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

How they differ

2 outlets covered “Empire State Building Daredevils Confess”.

What each outlet says

One AI summary per outlet of its latest article on this story, written from that article alone and checked against it. Open the article for the outlet's own words.

Fox NewsThis outlet11 Nov

Angelina Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, spoke with ABC News ahead of a court hearing regarding their illegal July climb of the Empire State Building in New York City. The couple confessed that they were willing to die for the stunt, which they characterized as art, and admitted to purchasing tickets to sleep inside the building before the climb. While they expressed regret for the NYPD officers and emergency…

Empire State Building daredevils laugh off stunt secret, confess how far they’d go — and who they’re sorry to (this article)
Daily Mail11 Nov

Angelina Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, gained global attention in July when they illegally climbed the Empire State Building's antenna and unfurled a banner promoting peace. They appeared to propose atop the building, but Nikolau's father revealed they were likely already married. During an interview, when asked if they were married, the couple began to respond but were interrupted by their lawyer, who…

Photogenic Russian couple who climbed to top of Empire State Building pinnacle for 'proposal' were likely already married →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Photogenic Russian couple who climbed to top of Empire State Building pinnacle for 'proposal' were likely already married Same event
Daily Mail
Hedges 2 of 28 claims Outlet record 70/100
Empire State Building climbers face deportation fears after attorney claims plea deal fell apart Different event
Fox News
Hedges 3 of 16 claims Outlet record 67/100
“While both articles discuss the same individuals and the initial stunt, ARTICLE B focuses on a later development regarding potential deportation and plea deal issues, which is a different event in the timeline.”
WATCH: Empire State Building climbers appear in court Different event
ABC News (US)
Hedges 0 of 1 claims Outlet record 67/100
“Article A describes the couple's confession and interview about their stunt, while Article B reports on their court appearance for the same incident, indicating different specific occurrences.”

Story

Empire State Building Daredevils Confess
Entertainment · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↑
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
10
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 10 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
67/100
Fox News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-11-14 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Running correction rate · 14 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Kelsie Cairns
40 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
A driver whose pickup truck plowed onto a youth soccer field, killing a young boy and a father, will not face criminal charges following an investigation, prosecutors announced.
2026-11-13 · assertive framing · Mom who plowed into soccer field and killed 2 will not face charges, DA says
The Empire State Building climbers who are facing charges for their daredevil climb to the top of the iconic New York City landmark may face deportation and jail time for the viral stunt.
2026-11-13 · assertive framing · Empire State Building climbers face deportation fears after attorney claims plea deal fell apart
In the interview ,they told the reporter that they were "willing to die" for the stunt that they called "art."
2026-11-11 · assertive framing · Empire State Building daredevils laugh off stunt secret, confess how far they’d go — and who they’re sorry to
During closing arguments, prosecutors portrayed Farwell as a former police officer who feared Birchmore would expose his alleged misconduct.
2026-11-10 · assertive framing · Ex-Massachusetts police officer convicted of murdering pregnant woman in staged suicide
In a statement, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said, "This tragedy would never have happened were it not for the multiple failures of sanctuary policies.
2026-11-03 · assertive framing · Illegal immigrant accused of violent attempted murder, kidnapping of a minor was released under Biden admin
Governor Hochul's top priority is public safety and she will always fight to protect all New Yorkers."
2026-11-03 · assertive framing · Hochul, Mamdani face questions over NYC women's safety after stabbing and Central Park assault
We will be working to ensure that upcoming renovations to the pedestrian bridge near the scene and the promenade itself will include sufficient lighting."
2026-11-03 · assertive framing · Hochul silent about women under attack in America's largest city as Dem candidate steers outrage elsewhere
She condemned what she called a "culture" that "has never changed." "The number of people involved and the repugnancy of her allegations would’ve drawn you to local police department fairly quickly," she said.
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · Gov Hochul's cameo in Cornell sex-assault documentary casts ‘air of impropriety’ over investigation: attorney
"There is a panoply of drugs out there that will destroy your kids," says retired NYPD inspector and Fox News contributor Paul Mauro.
2026-10-30 · assertive framing · ‘Your kids are the target’: College drug deaths, alleged coke ring expose lethal threat, warns retired cop
With no decision rendered at the conclusion of Thursday's arguments, the judge is expected to issue a formal written ruling in the coming days on whether James will remain as special prosecutor or if the investigation must be reassigned.
2026-10-29 · assertive framing · Judge grills AG’s office in Cornell sex assault case as ex-frat bro’s lawyer demands ouster over alleged bias
Also by Kelsie Cairns
Mom who plowed into soccer field and killed 2 will not face charges, DA says
2026-11-13 · Fox News
Empire State Building climbers face deportation fears after attorney claims plea deal fell apart
2026-11-13 · Fox News
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2026-11-11 · Fox News
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 40 articles by Kelsie Cairns →

Topics

ABC News Fox News Digital NYPD New York City

Subjects

Kuznetsov PERSON · 3× Nikolau PERSON · 2× ABC News ORG · 1× Angelina Nikolau PERSON · 1× Fox News Digital ORG · 1× Ivan Kuznetsov PERSON · 1× NYPD ORG · 1× New York City GPE · 1×

Narrative

In the interview, the couple laughed when it was revealed they purchased tickets to gain access to the building and slept inside overnight to carry out the climb. They also "only" felt they needed to apologize to the NYPD officers and emergency personnel who were sent to the top of the building to help them down.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-11-14
In the interview ,they told the reporter that they were "willing to die" for the stunt that they called "art."
2026-11-14 · Fox News
Empire State Building daredevils laugh off stunt secret, confess how far they’d go — and who they’re sorry to · assertive framing

Claims (10 extracted, 0 hedged)

The couple who went viral after they illegally scaled the Empire State Building in New York City is owning up to the stunt that landed them behind bars – speaking candidly ahead of their next court hearing in the case. asserted
that → go → case
Angelina Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, scaled the iconic skyscraper in July and displayed a black flag bearing the message "when the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace." asserted
world → scale → peace
Kuznetsov then proposed to Nikolau immediately after – and all of it was caught on camera. asserted
all → propose → camera
On Wednesday, the pair spoke about the summer stunt for the first time with ABC News during an interview that aired on Good Morning America. asserted
that → speak → America
During the sit-down, Kuznetsov said they are "ready to take responsibility" for what they did. asserted
they → say → what
The pair is currently facing charges and their lawyer previously confirmed to Fox News Digital they are negotiating a plea deal with prosecutors. asserted
they → face → prosecutors
In the interview ,they told the reporter that they were "willing to die" for the stunt that they called "art." asserted
they → tell → that
In the interview, the couple laughed when it was revealed they purchased tickets to gain access to the building and slept inside overnight to carry out the climb. They also "only" felt they needed to apologize to the NYPD officers and emergency personnel who were sent to the top of the building to help them down. asserted
who → laugh → them
Nikolau and Kuznetsov repeatedly said they know how "dangerous" the stunt was during the interview and also mentioned there "are other ways to express yourself" rather than illegally climbing buildings. asserted
stunt → say → buildings
They are due to appear in court on Thursday. asserted
They → appear → Thursday
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