Masked daredevil couple climb to top of Empire State Building to unfurl banner with message ⁠24%

By Carlos Garcia⁠64%

7/1/2026, 3:05:00 PM

BS Summary: This article contains 16 faulty reasoning types, including Halo Effect, Appeal to Authority, and Availability Heuristic, with Attempt to Sell a Product or Service as the most egregious example at 21.9% saturation with 80 hits. Analysis detected 608 faulty-reasoning hits from 365 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 36.4% and a BS Rank of ⁠24% (16,839 of 21,887 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 76.90% of the article peer group.

New York City residents were surprised to find two masked people climbing the Empire State Building just after noon on Wednesday. 
The New York Police Department confirmed via social media that they closed down streets near 5th Avenue and 34th Street in Manhattan. 
They unfurled a banner that read, 'When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.' 
The couple identified themselves on social media as daredevil climbers Ivan Beerkus and Angela Nikolau from Russia. 
They unfurled a banner that read, "When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace." 
The NYPD later confirmed that officers had taken the couple into custody but did not immediately say what charges they may face. 
One woman told USA Today that there were rumors that the man proposed to the woman during the climb. 
"But I don't really know exactly what it is," Stephanie Hazelwood said. 
"It just seems like an attention thing and art, maybe." 
Video obtained by ABC News did indeed appear to show the male climber getting on one knee and proposing to the female climber, who then takes photos of her hand. 
"If it's a proposal, it's an elaborate one, and I hope she said yes," one news anchor said on the video. 
"OK, they're hugging. 
I think he just proposed!" 
the other anchor said. 
The couple were the subject of a documentary titled "Skywalkers: A Love Story" from 2024 and have a large following on social media. 
RELATED: Watch: 'Pro-Life Spider-Man' climbs New York Times building and California's second-tallest skyscraper in daring protest against abortion 
A spokesperson for the Empire State Building said the "unauthorized" incident was resolved and used the occasion to market the building. 
"It is to be emphasized that the Empire State Building Observation Deck, atop the 'World's Most Famous Building' in the center of New York City, does offer a practical way for the most memorable marriage proposals," the spokesperson said. 
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Article reasoning-pattern comparisonThis article: 8.2%Carlos Garcia: 4.1%Blaze Media: 5.6%Confirmation Bias8.2%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.7%Blaze Media: 0.7%Anchoring Bias0.0%This article: 12.6%Carlos Garcia: 3.4%Blaze Media: 3.2%Availability Heuristic12.6%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.6%Blaze Media: 1.0%Representativeness Heuristic0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.5%Blaze Media: 0.8%Hindsight Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 1.0%Blaze Media: 1.6%Overconfidence Bias0.0%This article: 10.4%Carlos Garcia: 11.1%Blaze Media: 9.6%Framing Effect10.4%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.3%Blaze Media: 0.5%Loss Aversion0.0%This article: 10.7%Carlos Garcia: 0.5%Blaze Media: 0.5%Status Quo Bias10.7%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.0%Blaze Media: 0.2%Sunk Cost Effect0.0%This article: 5.8%Carlos Garcia: 1.2%Blaze Media: 1.7%Optimism Bias5.8%This article: 2.7%Carlos Garcia: 0.7%Blaze Media: 1.6%Pessimism Bias2.7%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 12.1%Blaze Media: 9.8%Negativity Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 1.6%Blaze Media: 1.4%Self-Serving Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 1.2%Blaze Media: 1.1%Fundamental Attribution Error0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.1%Blaze Media: 0.2%Actor-Observer Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 1.8%Blaze Media: 2.7%In-Group Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 1.0%Blaze Media: 1.5%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias0.0%This article: 17.0%Carlos Garcia: 1.7%Blaze Media: 2.6%Halo Effect17.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.3%Blaze Media: 0.4%Horn Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.1%Blaze Media: 0.1%Dunning-Kruger Effect0.0%This article: 4.9%Carlos Garcia: 1.1%Blaze Media: 1.1%Recency Bias4.9%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.4%Blaze Media: 0.5%Primacy Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.2%Blaze Media: 0.1%Blind-Spot Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 3.4%Blaze Media: 2.6%Ad Hominem0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.8%Blaze Media: 1.2%Straw Man0.0%This article: 17.0%Carlos Garcia: 3.6%Blaze Media: 3.7%Appeal to Authority17.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 1.4%Blaze Media: 2.4%False Dilemma0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.4%Blaze Media: 1.5%Slippery Slope0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.0%Blaze Media: 0.1%Circular Reasoning0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 5.1%Blaze Media: 8.9%Hasty Generalization0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 1.6%Blaze Media: 0.8%Red Herring0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 1.0%Blaze Media: 0.9%Bandwagon0.0%This article: 10.4%Carlos Garcia: 10.5%Blaze Media: 8.2%Appeal to Emotion10.4%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.9%Blaze Media: 1.5%Begging the Question0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 2.1%Blaze Media: 2.5%Post Hoc (False Cause)0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.4%Blaze Media: 0.2%Tu Quoque0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 1.1%Blaze Media: 1.0%Burden of Proof0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.0%Blaze Media: 0.3%Appeal to Nature0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.0%Blaze Media: 0.3%Composition/Division0.0%This article: 9.3%Carlos Garcia: 2.3%Blaze Media: 2.6%Anecdotal9.3%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.1%Blaze Media: 0.2%No True Scotsman0.0%This article: 8.2%Carlos Garcia: 2.1%Blaze Media: 2.0%Ambiguity (Equivocation)8.2%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.0%Blaze Media: 0.0%Gambler’s Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.1%Blaze Media: 0.1%Middle Ground0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.1%Blaze Media: 0.1%Personal Incredulity0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.1%Blaze Media: 0.2%Special Pleading0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.3%Blaze Media: 0.3%Genetic Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 3.9%Blaze Media: 2.8%Unattributed Quote0.0%This article: 11.0%Carlos Garcia: 3.9%Blaze Media: 2.2%Quote-first Misdirection11.0%This article: 5.8%Carlos Garcia: 6.5%Blaze Media: 10.6%Biased Writer Voice5.8%This article: 10.7%Carlos Garcia: 2.3%Blaze Media: 4.5%Indoctrination10.7%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.9%Blaze Media: 0.4%Politically Left Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 5.7%Blaze Media: 7.0%Politically Right Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 21.9%Carlos Garcia: 3.6%Blaze Media: 2.6%Attempt to Sell a Product or S…21.9%

365 words analyzed.

Speakers

4speakers43%attributed speech209writer words
Voice mapSelect a segment to jump to its words
Writer's voice • 15 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 21 words • 0.0% coverageNew York Police Department • 22 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 20 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 17 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 20 words • 100.0% coverageNew York Police Department • 22 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 19 words • 0.0% coverageStephanie Hazelwood • 12 words • 0.0% coverageStephanie Hazelwood • 10 words • 0.0% coverageABC News • 30 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 21 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 3 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 5 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 4 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 23 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 18 words • 100.0% coverageEmpire State Building • 21 words • 100.0% coverageEmpire State Building • 39 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 3 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 17 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 3 words • 100.0% coverage
Selected voice

Empire State Building

100%flagged-word coverage
60 attributed words38% of attributed speech71% writer coverage
0%32.5%65.0%Indoctrination+65.0 ptsWriter: 0.0%Empire State Building: 65.0%65.0%Attempt to Sell a Product +45.4 ptsWriter: 19.6%Empire State Building: 65.0%65.0%Biased Writer Voice+35.0 ptsWriter: 0.0%Empire State Building: 35.0%35.0%Quote-first Misdirection-19.1 ptsWriter: 19.1%Empire State Building: 0.0%0.0%

Attribution is sentence-level. Pattern percentages are calculated only from words assigned to that voice.

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Analysis

Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.