Two people climb on top of the Empire State Building with message on banner
Two people who apparently have stronger stomachs than most bizarrely scaled the Empire State Building today.
The pair left people in the Big Apple stunned on Wednesday (1 July) after climbing on top of the 1,454ft (443 metres) tall tourist attraction.
What made the stunt even more intriguing is that the two masked individuals then unfurled a huge banner which sported an interesting message.
Imagine looking up from the sidewalk and seeing that on a mid-week afternoon, eh? I suppose it would be quite the sight to behold.
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According to reports, the daring duo got up to all sorts while they were gallivanting about on top of the Empire State Building.
After reaching the spire of the notorious structure, the pair were seen descending to a small platform - where they then appeared to act out a proposal.
They then shared a smooch before continuing with their descent.
A massive black banner was then unveiled by the masked pair, which sported vivid white lettering.
It read: "When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace."
This is a quote largely attributed to the late and great musician Jimi Hendrix, although British Prime Minister William Gladstone is also given props for saying it.
Reports claim that the people - who appear to be a man and a woman - were on top of the Empire State Building for at least ten minutes.
The New York Police Department later announced that the individuals were subsequently taken into custody, according to the BBC.
The duo caused quite a commotion in the US city with the stunt, as an NYPD helicopter was seen circling the area, while tourists were ordered to leave the Empire State Building's observation deck.
Some people seem to believe it was some kind of stunt to spread the message of world peace, while others reckon it could have been a very wacky way to get engaged.
Whatever they were up to, it appears as though they might be in a lot of trouble with the law.
Their antics put officials and the building owners in a seriously 'tough spot', according to former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
He told CNN: "They are going to have to do whatever they can to see that these people are prosecuted for any appropriate charges, because they cannot take the chance that others will see this and decide to also try it.
“The last thing that people who are responsible for the Empire State Building want is to turn this place into a target for that sort of activity, because ultimately it will end in some sort of tragedy. The danger here, the recklessness, is obvious and can’t be overstated."
It is not clear how they managed to reach the top of the Empire State Building without being interrupted, but the one thing that we do know is that it's against New York City law to scale the exterior of the Empire State Building without authorisation.
Olivia Burke