Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw were killed Tuesday evening when a news helicopter crashed in Chatsworth while they were covering a developing story for NBC4 and Telemundo 52.
The helicopter went down shortly before 7 p.m. in the 9100 block of North Mason Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The aircraft crashed between commercial buildings and caught fire, damaging several vehicles and storage containers nearby.
Moreno was an aerial journalist who had worked with Angel City Air since 2010 and was known to viewers for her coverage from NewsChopper4. Marciniw was a veteran pilot and flight instructor who had worked alongside Moreno since 2023.
The pair had been covering a separate deadly collision involving a Metro bus and an SUV in the San Fernando Valley when their helicopter crashed.
A third person on the ground, 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia, also died in the helicopter crash. Two other people were hospitalized following the incident.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the helicopter crash. Investigators said video recorded from the helicopter and other nearby footage will be important to determining what happened. A preliminary report is expected within about 30 days, while a full investigation is expected to take longer.
NBC4 and Telemundo 52 expressed condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of those who died. A memorial has since grown near Whiteman Airport, where flowers and messages have been placed in memory of Moreno and Marciniw.
Moreno and Marciniw were doing the work they had dedicated themselves to when the tragedy occurred. Their deaths have left colleagues and viewers mourning two familiar figures who spent years bringing breaking news to communities across Southern California.
