Old video goes viral as Bihar couple recreates the Empire State Building stunt

A Russian daredevil couple climbed to the top of the Empire State Building’s towering spire in New York City on 1 July, 2026. They unfurled a large banner urging world peace, which appeared to be part of an elaborate marriage proposal. However, their stunt ended with their arrests.

Following the incident, a video went viral on social media, claiming to show a couple from Bihar climbing an electricity tower, allegedly inspired by the Empire State Building stunt. In the video, we can see a person atop a metal tower, likely a telephone tower, while three police officers are also seen climbing it. The caption of the post states, “A bizarre incident reportedly unfolded in Bihar after a young couple allegedly attempted to recreate the viral high-rise stunt of Russian daredevil influencers by climbing an electricity transmission tower in search of internet fame.”

Let’s check the truth.

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Fact check:

We started our investigation with a keyword and reverse image search on Google, and the results led us to an NDTV report published on 15 May, 2026, carrying the same visual of a woman in identical attire atop a tower. 

This indicates that the viral video is old and not inspired by the Empire State Building stunt.

As per reports, in May 2026, a woman named Mausam Kumari climbed an approximately 70-foot-tall mobile tower in the Saran district, Bihar. The act was out of frustration because her boyfriend, Alok Kumar, had reportedly refused to marry her. Local authorities and rescue teams arrived at the scene, safely brought her down, and resolved the situation. 

Moving forward, we found several media reports regarding this accident. The Dainik Bhaskar report from 15 May also states the same details. You can see the report below.

Thus, it is clear that the viral video is from May 2026, but the Empire State Building stunt took place on 1 July, 2026. Since the Bihar incident occurred over a month prior to the New York incident, it could not have been influenced by it.

Conclusion

Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the video to be Misleading. The viral video shows a woman from Bihar climbing a telephone tower following a dispute with her lover. It has been available on the internet since May 2026, even before the Empire State Building stunt by the Russian couple.