All 3 victims identified in NBC Los Angeles helicopter crash
All three people killed when an NBC L.A. helicopter crashed in Los Angeles have been identified, including a bystander who was in the parking lot where the aircraft went down, according to officials and the station.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the bystander killed on the crash as 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia.
Reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw were providing coverage for NBC LA and Telemundo 52 when their helicopter crashed on Tuesday evening. The station confirmed their deaths last night.
The crash was reported at 6:57 p.m. at 9151 North Mason Avenue in Chatsworth, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). The helicopter came down in a parking lot between two commercial buildings, where firefighters found the aircraft and nearby vehicles engulfed in flames.
Mejia was killed on the ground. A fourth person was taken to a local hospital with no physical injuries but in a state of shock.
The helicopter had been covering a collision between an SUV and a bus a couple of blocks away, which left two people dead and several others injured. Several news helicopters were operating in the area.
The station’s stream showed the helicopter slowly descending toward the ground as its engine appeared to fail. Moreno could be heard talking to Marciniw as they went down before the feed suddenly cut off. The cause of the crash has not been confirmed.
Moreno and Marciniw had flown together since 2023, logging hundreds of hours covering Southern California for NBC LA and Telemundo 52, according to NBC LA. Their NewsChopper helicopter was owned and operated by Angel City Air.
The pair frequently worked evening assignments, covering police pursuits and breaking news. They also filmed aerial views of the region’s mountains, coastline and city landscapes.
Moreno, who grew up in Orange County, was engaged to be married and described herself as a dog and chicken mom, NBC LA reported.
Chapman University said Moreno graduated in 2010 with majors in television broadcast journalism and social science.
Marciniw also grew up in Southern California and graduated from Burbank High School in 1974. He worked as a flight instructor and was believed to have more than 30 years of flying experience, according to NBC LA.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is at the crash site conducting its investigation.
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