{"id":224583,"date":"2026-09-18T02:29:53","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T02:29:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/3-dead-after-news-helicopter-crashes-while-covering-deadly-los-angeles-bus-collision-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2026-09-18T02:29:53","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T02:29:53","slug":"3-dead-after-news-helicopter-crashes-while-covering-deadly-los-angeles-bus-collision-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/3-dead-after-news-helicopter-crashes-while-covering-deadly-los-angeles-bus-collision-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"3 dead after news helicopter crashes while covering deadly Los Angeles bus collision – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A helicopter providing news coverage for NBC Los Angeles crashed while it was reporting on a fatal bus collision Tuesday evening, killing the photojournalist and pilot on board<\/a> and one person on the ground, the station and officials said.
The aircraft crashed in a parking lot near a self-storage facility in the community of Chatsworth, in the San Fernando Valley, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department and news video on the ground from NBC Los Angeles.<\/a>
NBC Los Angeles identified the victims aboard the helicopter as Angel City Air employees Eliana Moreno, an aerial photojournalist <\/a>familiar to viewers of the station and its Spanish-language sister station, Telemundo 52, and pilot George Marciniw. <\/a>Angel City Air operated the helicopter.
The third victim was identified Wednesday as Edy Gutierrez Mejia, 29. Fire Capt. Branden Silverman said earlier that the victim appeared to be a pedestrian on the ground.
\u201cWe knew it was a news chopper, we knew we\u2019d lost contact with our people out there, and we\u2019ve just received the confirmation that, in fact, NewsChopper4 went down just before 7 o\u2019clock tonight in Chatsworth,\u201d anchor Colleen Williams said on the air Tuesday night.
\u201cWe\u2019re going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, to process and to regroup,\u201d Williams added, her voice becoming emotional.
Lynette Romero, co-anchor of NBCLA\u2019s morning newscast, said they were \u201cheartbroken\u201d and are thinking of the families of Moreno and Marciniw.
\u201cThey were both doing what they loved so much, and for me that\u2019s comfort in knowing how happy they were. They loved breaking news, and they loved being in NewsChopper4,\u201d she said Wednesday on NBC\u2019s \u201cTODAY\u201d show.
Angel City Air, which describes itself as \u201ca full-service aerial production company,\u201d did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night.
Three people were dead at the scene, and two others were taken to the hospital, Fire Battalion Chief Rico A. Gross said at a late-night news conference. The conditions of the injured were unavailable.
Zareh Sevanesian, who witnessed the crash, said the helicopter was swaying before it started losing altitude.
\u201cIt was just getting lower and lower and lower and lower,\u201d he said on the \u201cTODAY\u201d show.
Moreno was born in Orange County, south of Los Angeles, and graduated from Chapman University with a degree in broadcast journalism and political science in 2010, NBC Los Angeles reported. She joined Angel City Air\u2019s helicopter team the same year and has reported for multiple Southern California news outlets.
Marciniw also grew up in Southern California, where he graduated from Burbank High School, the station said.
NBC Los Angeles and Telemundo 52 issued a joint statement expressing condolences.
\u201cWe 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,\u201d the stations said. \u201cWe extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives.\u201d
The helicopter crash occurred after two people were killed and others were injured in a crash at around 5 p.m. between a Los Angeles Metro bus and a passenger vehicle on Nordhoff Street at De Soto Avenue, officials said.
Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, of Simi Valley, was arrested on suspicion of murder in the crash involving the bus, the Los Angeles Police Department said Wednesday<\/a>.
Rios was driving her SUV southbound in the northbound lanes of De Soto Avenue when she ran a red light, almost struck a crossing car and then hit the bus, according to the LAPD.
The two dead were adult passengers on the bus, police said. Their names have not been publicly released. One of people hurt had severe injuries, police said.
Bail was set at $4 million and Rios remained in custody Wednesday afternoon, according to jail records. Attempts to locate phone records for a relative who could speak on her behalf were not immediately successful.
The case was forwarded to the Los Angeles County District Attorney\u2019s Office for a decision on whether to file charges, police said. The district attorney\u2019s office said Wednesday that the case was under review.
The helicopter was one of multiple aircraft covering the collision.
Fire and police personnel were nearby, said Silverman, the fire captain. They rushed to the crash, reported shortly before 7 p.m., and found the helicopter engulfed in flames, which had spread to nearby parked vehicles, he added.
Sevanesian was driving nearby with his wife, Allyona, when he saw the chopper\u2019s unusual descent.
\u201cAs we were driving, I looked over to my left,\u201d he said. \u201cI saw the helicopter \u2014 something didn\u2019t look right. And I told my wife, \u2018That helicopter is not flying right.\u2019\u201d
Sevanesian said he saw the helicopter gradually losing altitude. Then, he said, he pulled over near the crash as fire roared.
\u201cIt was one of the most violent fires I had ever seen,\u201d Sevanesian recalled.
He said he soon found a person down near the wreckage and three others \u201cscreaming uncontrollably.\u201d
\u201cIt was very terrifying and sad for everyone,\u201d Allyona said.
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement Wednesday that it would be involved in the investigation, which it said the National Transportation Safety Board would lead.
Investigators were at the scene Wednesday morning.
The bureau said in a statement that it was probing the crash \u201cof a Eurocopter AS 350 B2 helicopter in Chatsworth, California.\u201d No cause has been provided and Fabian Salazar, a senior air safety investigator with the NTSB, told reporters Wednesday that a preliminary report will be out in 30 days.
Video from inside the chopper moments before the crash will be key in the investigation, he said, and it will be sent off for a sound spectrum analysis.
\u201cIn that recording we are clearly hearing sounds that are consistent with the engine changing its speed, and we\u2019re also hearing tones that are being generated that are likely advisories to the pilot,\u201d Salazar said.
The NTSB is also asking for any witnesses with video to send it in to help investigators determine what happened.
Speaking near the scene Tuesday night, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said it was \u201ca heartbreaking night for our city.\u201d She praised first responders for their quick reaction and expressed grief over those who were killed in the bus collision and the aircraft crash.
\u201cWe lost five Angelenos today,\u201d she said, \u201cand my heart certainly goes out to the family and friends of all of those that we lost.\u201d
California Gov. Gavin Newsom also thanked first responders and offered condolences in a statement on X.
\u201cOur hearts are with the victims and families of tonight\u2019s devastating Metro bus and helicopter crashes in Chatsworth, and with the entire NBC4 family,\u201d he said.
Dennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
© 2026 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n

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