Two trespassers climb to top of Empire State Building, fly banner [View all]

Source: NBC News

Two trespassers climb to top of Empire State Building, fly banner

Images from NBC New York’s helicopter showed two people in dark outfits holding a black flag with white lettering. The two later appeared to be making out.

July 1, 2026, 12:37 PM EDT / Updated July 1, 2026, 12:54 PM EDT / Source: NBC New York
By Daniel Arkin and Daniel Arkin

At least two people climbed to the top of New York City’s Empire State Building on Wednesday afternoon and unfurled a banner.

The pair, who appear to be a man and a woman in dark outfits and masks, seemed to embrace and kiss at one point as NBC New York’s helicopter circled overhead.

The banner they unfurled at the top of the building’s spire read: “When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace.”


-------- Two people holding a black flag with white lettering on top of the Empire State Building in New York on Wednesday. NBC New York

It was not immediately clear how the two people ascended to the top of the building.

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Daniel Arkin
Daniel Arkin is a senior reporter at NBC News.

Daniel Arkin
Daniel Arkin is a senior reporter at NBC News.


Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/two-trespassers-climb-top-empire-state-building-rcna352583