BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts city home to one of the nation’s largest Cape Verdean communities will impose a nighttime curfew ahead of Cape Verde’s World Cup match Friday after police said recent postgame celebrations were marred by shootings, stabbings and other violence, prompting city officials to request National Guard assistance.
Brockton Mayor Moises Rodrigues announced what he called a “temporary safety curfew” within the Boston suburb at a news conference Wednesday. Cape Verde, an island nation off the west coast of Africa that qualified for the World Cup for the first time this year, is scheduled to face Argentina on Friday in the knockout stage of the tournament.
“The purpose of this curfew is to protect public safety, reduce criminal activity associated with post-game celebrations, and enable police, fire and emergency personnel to effectively maintain order and respond to emergencies,” Rodrigues said.
The curfew will run from 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Saturday in parts of Brockton, where thousands of people have gathered after Cape Verde’s World Cup matches, pouring into downtown streets waving flags, dancing and celebrating late into the night. No one will be allowed to enter establishments serving alcohol after 7 p.m., and last call will be at 9:30 p.m.
Brockton is home to one of the nation’s largest Cape Verdean communities. Nearly one in five residents is Cape Verdean, and the community is often referred to as the “11th island” of Cape Verde.
Cape Verde has captured the attention of its diaspora during a historic World Cup run, drawing jubilant crowds in Brockton after matches. City officials have repeatedly said the overwhelming majority of those celebrations have been peaceful.
But police say recent celebrations have also been followed by violence. At least nine people have been injured in shootings that occurred after World Cup matches or as crowds gathered downtown, according to Brockton police. Others were hurt in stabbings.
In recent days, detectives released surveillance photos and video from multiple shootings, including one near Main Street as crowds gathered June 21 and another later that night at a gas station, asking the public to help identify suspects.
Police also said they linked a suspect in another investigation to a shooting that occurred after a World Cup match.
Officials said the curfew exempts first responders and people traveling to or from work or seeking medical care. They said First Amendment activities, including news coverage, would also be respected.
Police Chief Brenda Perez said the department is understaffed and has relied on mutual aid from the Massachusetts State Police, the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office and neighboring police departments during previous celebrations. She said more than 200 officers were deployed during recent World Cup gatherings but declined to discuss operational plans for Friday.
Steve Hooke, director of the Brockton Emergency Management Agency, confirmed the city requested National Guard assistance but declined to discuss operational details or whether the request had been approved.
Cape Verde supporters celebrate the opening goal for their team as they watch the World Cup Group H soccer match between Uruguay and Cape Verde at a restaurant at a Cape Verde community in Brockton, Mass. near Boston, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Cape Verde supporters celebrate in cars on the streets after the World Cup Group H soccer match between Uruguay and Cape Verde at the Cape Verde community in Brockton, Mass. near Boston, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
NEW YORK (AP) — A skyscraper-scaling daredevil told police that he and his girlfriend climbed the Empire State Building’s antenna and unfurled a banner about love and peace because he wanted to “do something special” for their engagement, prosecutors said Thursday at the couple's arraignment on felony reckless endangerment, burglary and other charges.
The couple, who go by Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus, said little as they left court, though Beerkus responded to a journalist's question about the stunt by saying: "We believe in love."
Authorities said the two — who were the subject of the 2024 Netflix documentary “ Skywalkers: A Love Story ” about their “rooftopping” exploits and budding romance — created not only a spectacle but a danger by ascending the famed skyscraper's broadcast antenna Wednesday.
After reaching the top, 1,454 feet (443 meters) above midtown Manhattan, the climbers displayed a black banner reading: “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace," news helicopter video showed.
Then they collected the banner and descended to a slightly lower ledge, where an apparently successful marriage proposal unfolded. Nikolau posted images of the escapade on her social media accounts, including a photo that modeled an engagement-style ring above a bird’s-eye view of Manhattan.
Police waited about a half-hour for the antenna to be powered down before Emergency Services Unit officers started ascending and eventually intercepted the climbers on their way down, according to the complaint, which noted the danger to officers who climbed about 1,250 feet (381 meters) above the ground. The court document identified the two by their formal names, Angelina Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov.
“Skywalkers: A Love Story” follows Beerkus, now 32, and Nikolau, 33, as they make often unauthorized ascents of tall structures, sometimes posing as construction workers to sneak in.
The court complaint said police found a broken lock on a security door on the Empire State Building's restricted-access 104th floor, which provides access to the antenna. The highest public floor is the 102nd, where there’s an observation deck. Going higher requires a key card, according to the court complaint.
The Empire State Building's management has called the climb “unauthorized” but hasn't answered questions about what interactions, if any, the daredevils had with security workers. Visitors to the skyscraper are screened and told not to bring large packages, sports equipment, costumes or masks, among other items.
Beerkus and Nikolau were released without bail, in accordance with New York laws that restrict when monetary bail can be set. Their attorney, Jason Krinsky, said outside court that once prosecutors provide evidence, he and his clients would assess it and determine next steps.
“What a way to propose — something you can only dream of," Krinsky said. “So you've got to, you know, give him some credit for that.”
Other daredevils have climbed the antenna and other parts of the Empire State Building. Those ascents have largely been unauthorized, but actor and musician Jared Leto was allowed to climb up to the base of the antenna from the 86th floor in 2023 to promote a tour.
Two people stand on the tip of the antenna of the Empire State Building in New York while holding a banner on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (WABC-TV via AP)
Two people stand on the tip of the antenna of the Empire State Building while holding a banner on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Two people descend the spire of the Empire State Building, in New York, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
A person is shown atop the spire of the Empire State Building, in New York, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Angelina Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov, who go by Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus, depart New York criminal courthouse building on Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Jennifer Peltz)
Angelina Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov, who go by Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus, depart New York criminal courthouse building on Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Jennifer Peltz)
