A longtime reporter and a veteran pilot have been identified as the victims aboard an NBC helicopter when it crashed between two buildings near the scene of a fatal bus collision in Los Angeles.
Eliana “Eli” Moreno and George Marciniv were killed when the helicopter crashed in a Chatsworth parking lot just before 7 p.m. Tuesday night.
A pedestrian, whose identity has not yet been established, also died at the scene. Another was taken to the hospital in unknown condition.
NewsChopper4 was flying over an area between two warehouses at the intersection of Nordhoff Street and DeSoto Avenue, near where an SUV hit the bus earlier in the night when it suddenly lost altitude and crashed to the ground.
The bus collision killed two people and injured six others, some of them in critical condition.
The helicopter appears to have crashed near two shipping containers and several vehicles parked in the area, causing a large fire that threatened four vehicles nearby.
Moreno was a veteran aerial reporter for NBC4 Los Angeles and Telemundo who had flown news helicopters since 2010, covering police pursuits, wildfires, traffic and major local events.
She began her broadcasting career after graduating from Chapman University in 2010, where she studied broadcast journalism and political science.
Moreno worked at KCAL 9 and KCBS 2 before joining NBC and flying aboard NewsChopper4 around 2018 or 2019.
Longtime NBC reporter Eliana “Eli” Moreno and pilot George Marciniv were killed in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.
A news helicopter crashed in a parking lot while covering a fatal bus collision in Chatsworth.
Before joining NBC, Moreno worked at KCAL 9 and KCBS 2. She graduated from Chapman University in 2010, where she studied broadcast journalism and political science.
Marciniv (above) and Moreno have flown together since 2023.
Colleen Williams (right) was among the NBC reporters covering the story live on Tuesday.
Marciniv was an experienced pilot with more than 14,000 helicopter flight hours.
NBC4 and Telemundo said in a statement Tuesday night: “We are deeply saddened that a helicopter providing aerial news coverage for NBC4 and Telemundo 52 was involved in a fatal accident in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening.
“We extend our sincere condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those killed.”
“We’re not in contact with our television news helicopter,” the longtime NBC 4 Los Angeles news anchor said through tears Tuesday as other reporters on the scene gasped at their ordeal.
“We have lost touch with our people.”
Williams also confirmed that a news helicopter arrived from NBC in Los Angeles before the news station took a break.
As Mayor Karen Bass and other elected officials spoke about the tragedy later in the night, she was seen consoling NBC 4 reporter Robert Kovacik.
Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Branden Silverman previously told reporters at the scene that the helicopter was “pretty well destroyed.”
A friend of the two helicopter victims also told Fox Los Angeles that he was “hurt” because he assumed the helicopter had suffered engine failure.
“I have no words, I don’t know what to say,” he said, calling the pilot experienced and noting that the NBC reporter recently got married.
“It’s heartbreaking to see the engine die,” the friend said.
A news helicopter was reporting a fatal subway bus crash that killed two people.
The impact caused a large fire and also killed a person on the ground.
An NBC Los Angeles helicopter crashed after covering Tuesday’s fatal bus crash.
The crash came as local media rushed to film aerial footage of the fatal bus crash, showing people fleeing the scene and police cruisers racing toward the fiery explosion.
It appears the bus was crossing the intersection around 5 p.m. when an SUV crashed into it, sending both vehicles to the side of the road, ABC 7 reported.
Authorities are now looking into the possibility that one of the vehicles ran a red light.
Two people died on the spot, the rest were taken to local hospitals. The extent of the victims’ injuries remains unclear.
One of the deceased was reported to have been thrown from the bus, while the other was reportedly on board.
A Los Angeles City Search and Rescue team was also seen pulling several people from the vehicle, with at least one person found trapped underneath, KTLA reported.
She was eventually freed and quickly loaded into an ambulance in an unknown condition, with injuries described as “comminuted” by experts at the scene.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said her heart is with everyone who lost loved ones.
Bass hugs NBC 4 reporter Robert Kovacik after the fatal crash.
Los Angeles firefighter arrives at the scene of a helicopter crash
Firefighters respond to a helicopter crash Tuesday evening
Shortly after the bus crash, images emerged showing the front half of a Ford SUV crashing into the side of a Metro bus.
When the vehicle was then removed, a gaping hole was visible in the side of the bus, according to the Los Angeles Times.
At the height of the response, more than 70 fire department personnel were on the scene, a spokesman said at a news conference.
The intersection, which has seen two fatal crashes, will now be closed for “an extended period of time,” she said.
In a brief statement, Bass said she was “absolutely devastated by the loss of life in Chatsworth this evening.”
“My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of those we lost in the tragic bus collision and helicopter crash,” she wrote on social media.
“I am grateful to the city crews who responded so quickly,” she added, urging the public to “please stay away from the area as public safety officers remain on the scene.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom also expressed his condolences.
“Our hearts are with the victims and families of today’s devastating subway bus and helicopter crash in Chatsworth, as well as the entire NBC4 family,” he said in a statement.
“Thank you to the first responders who are working tirelessly this evening.”
Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, added that it was “very sad news.”
The helicopter crash will be investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.