Tributes began pouring in Wednesday after a news helicopter crashed in Los Angeles, killing three people.
The crash occurred just before 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Chatsworth area of the San Fernando Valley as the news chopper was covering a traffic accident.
Angel City Air operated the helicopter, which was providing news coverage for NBC Los Angeles.
The victims aboard the helicopter were identified as Eliana Moreno, a journalist familiar to viewers of the station and its Spanish-language sister station, Telemundo 52, and pilot George Marciniw. The pair began flying together in 2023.
A pedestrian on the ground was also confirmed to have died at the scene, officials said. Authorities identified the third victim as Edy Gutiérrez Mejia, 29.
Zareh Sevanesian, who witnessed the crash, said the helicopter was swaying before it started losing altitude.
“It was just getting lower and lower and lower and lower,” he said on NBC’s “TODAY” show.
NBC Los Angeles and Telemundo 52 issued a joint statement expressing condolences for the pair.
“We are deeply saddened to share that a helicopter providing aerial news coverage for NBC4 and Telemundo 52 was involved in a fatal accident in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening,” the stations said. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives.”
Eliana Moreno
Moreno, 38, was born in Orange County, south of Los Angeles.
She graduated from Chapman University in Orange, with a double degree in broadcast journalism and social science, in 2010, according to the university.
“We are grateful to know that she went on to pursue her passion for journalism and storytelling as a reporter,” university spokesman Bob Hitchcock said in a statement Wednesday.
“Our hearts go out to Eliana’s family, friends, colleagues, and all those who knew and worked with her,” Hitchcock continued. “We extend our deepest condolences to everyone mourning her loss.”
Moreno joined Angel City Air’s helicopter team the year she graduated and reported for multiple Southern California news outlets.
A seasoned aerial journalist who also reported in Spanish, Moreno was known on her official Instagram account as “Eli in the heli” because of her work. There, she shared pictures of her chickens and pet dogs and, last year, a video of her engagement to Robert Barrientos.
He did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment. The pair ran a half-marathon together in May, after which she wrote: “I surpassed everything I thought I could ever do so let’s see what I do next!”
Jonathan Gonzalez, a weekend news anchor and reporter for NBC Los Angeles, said Moreno was dependable, highly skilled and kind.
“When you have Eliana in the chopper, you know you’re in good hands. That she’s going to make you so smart,” he said in an interview with NBC News on Wednesday. “She’s going to ask, and she’s going to answer every one of your questions in the best way and help carry the story forward.”
“She was damn good at what she did,” he said.
Gonzalez said Moreno was “one of a kind” and one of the best helicopter reporters in the market. He recalled one police chase involving a golf cart.
“We had some, dare I say, funny moments during that. You know, a little bit of levity, because it was almost silly,” he said. “And she was good at that, too.”
Moreno also frequently shared images of herself in the news chopper, covering stories on the go, with one caption reading, “I have the best job in the world.”
“She was just such a light, such a spark plug. She’s teeny-tiny, but she had the biggest heart and enthusiasm,” said Lynette Romero, co-anchor of NBC Los Angeles’ morning newscast. “It was really contagious.”
Veteran NBC Los Angeles anchor Colleen Williams paid tribute to “dear colleagues” on the air Tuesday evening. Visibly emotional, she told viewers: “We are coming on the air with heavy hearts tonight because we lost valued friends and colleagues ... while on assignment tonight.”
“We are going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, process it,” she added, her voice shaking.
Romero said they are “heartbroken” and are thinking of the families of Moreno and Marciniw.
“They were both doing what they loved so much, and for me, that’s comfort in knowing how happy they were. They loved breaking news, and they loved being in NewsChopper4,” she said Wednesday on NBC’s “TODAY” show.
George Marciniw
Marciniw also grew up in Southern California, where he graduated from Burbank High School in 1974, according to NBC Los Angeles.
Marciniw is believed to have had more than 30 years of flight experience and logged over 14,000 hours of flight time. He often shared sunsets and scenic pictures from the area on what he dubbed a “news cruise” in the helicopter.
He often credited pictures on his Instagram page to his companion and colleague Moreno.
“And that’s a wrap for Friday night as the heavy fog rolls in with Eliana Moreno,” he wrote, sharing an image of the chopper. In another, he posted a picture of Dodger Stadium lit up brightly at night, captioned: “A few shots Eliana took as we flew over Dodgers after the game. ‘Go Dodgers.’”
Morning anchors paid tribute to their fallen colleague Wednesday, praising Marciniw for his experience, professionalism and dedication.
“When you thought about NewsChopper4, you thought about George,” NBC Los Angeles meteorologist Belen De Leon said.
Tuesday night, fellow helicopter pilot Esteban Jimenez, who was at the scene of the crash, said Marciniw was nearing retirement. The two last talked over the weekend, Jimenez told NBC Los Angeles.
“I knew him since the ’90s. He was my instructor at one time; he was my eyes and ears here in L.A.,” Jimenez said. “I just cannot believe this.”
Many online paid tribute to Marciniw, detailing his professionalism and fun-loving spirit. “Fly high in the great beyond,” one person wrote. “Total utter disbelief,” another wrote.
Gonzalez, the weekend anchor and reporter, said Marciniw was also a flight instructor and enjoyed sharing his passion with others.
“That’s what he loved to do,” Gonzalez said. “He loved to fly.”
He said Moreno and Marciniw were irreplaceable.
“The world lost two people who cared deeply about this community and the communities they grew up in and lived in, and we lost two people who we care about deeply, too,” he said.
Edy Fernando Gutiérrez Mejia
Mejia, better known as “Pichi” to loved ones, lived in Cuilapa, a town of 41,000 people in southeastern Guatemala, and had been in town for only two days before tragedy struck, NBC Los Angeles reported.
He had planned to pick up a car and take it home to sell, his cousin told NBC Los Angeles. Now, his family is working to send his body back to Guatemala.
“May God give you the rest you deserve,” read a tribute to Mejia on Facebook. “A big hug all the way to heaven. We shared so many good times, there’s so much I miss.”
On social media, Mejia shared photos of himself playing soccer, traveling and sharing time with loved ones.
“We offer our prayers for eternal rest and ask our Lord God to grant the family much patience during these moments of sorrow,” the Cuilapa mayor’s office said in a Facebook statement.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration said they will begin investigating the cause of the helicopter crash.
