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

NEW YORK - Two people climbed to the very top of the Empire State Building’s towering spire in New York City on July 1 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 443m 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 12.30pm, 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.” REUTERS

People looking on from the ground as the couple display their banner atop New York’s Empire State Building on July 1. PHOTO: REUTERS