A news helicopter covering a fatal bus collision in Los Angeles crashed Tuesday evening, killing the reporter and pilot aboard along with one person on the ground, in what Mayor Karen Bass called a devastating tragedy for the city.
Fatal Crash Claims Three Lives
NewsChopper4, operated by Angel City Air, went down just before 7 p.m. in Chatsworth, a neighborhood in northern Los Angeles. The helicopter was providing aerial coverage for NBC Los Angeles and its Spanish-language sister station when it crashed between two commercial buildings. The impact triggered an immediate fireball, destroying four vehicles and two storage containers. Fire Captain Brandon Silverman described the wreckage as completely destroyed, with no visible tail section remaining. Crews worked through rubble to recover victims from the charred debris.
Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft behaving erratically moments before impact. One woman whose husband works in law enforcement noticed the helicopter swaying unnaturally in the air. Within seconds, the aircraft plummeted to the parking lot below, erupting in flames upon contact with the ground. The violence of the crash left investigators facing significant challenges in piecing together what went wrong during what should have been routine news coverage.
Victims Identified From News Team
Authorities identified the helicopter occupants as Eliana Moreno, a broadcast journalist, and pilot George Marciniw, both employees of Angel City Air. Moreno, born in Orange County, graduated from Chapman University in 2010 with degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. She joined Angel City Air that same year and reported for multiple Southern California media outlets. Marciniw, a 1974 graduate of Burbank High School who grew up in Southern California, partnered with Moreno beginning in 2023. The coroner’s office identified the ground victim as Edy Gutierrez Mejia, 29 years old.
Two additional individuals were transported to hospitals following the crash, though their conditions remained unknown late Tuesday. Fire Battalion Chief Rico Gross confirmed the hospitalizations during a news conference but provided no further details about the injured parties or whether they were bystanders or emergency responders.
Officials React To Dual Tragedies
NBC Los Angeles and its sister station released a joint statement expressing deep sadness over the fatal accident. The stations extended condolences to families, friends and colleagues of those killed. Mayor Bass emphasized the compound tragedy of losing five Angelenos in one day, referencing both the helicopter crash and the bus collision the news crew had been covering. Governor Gavin Newsom issued his own statement thanking first responders working through the night. The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration launched investigations into the crash cause, standard procedure for all aviation accidents involving fatalities.