A longtime reporter and a veteran pilot have been identified as victims on board an NBC helicopter when it crashed between two buildings near the scene of a deadly bus collision in Los Angeles.
Eliana ‘Eli’ Moreno and George Marciniw were killed when the chopper went down in a parking lot in Chatsworth just before 7pm on Tuesday night.
A pedestrian, who has not yet been identified, also died at the scene. Another was taken to hospital in unknown condition.
The NewsChopper4 was flying over the area between two warehouses at the intersection of Nordhoff Street and DeSoto Avenue, near where an SUV crashed into a bus earlier in the night, when it suddenly lost altitude and plunged to the ground.
Two people had been killed in the bus collision, while six others were left injured, some of whom were in critical condition.
The chopper appeared to have crashed next to two shipping containers and several vehicles that were parked in the area, causing a massive blaze that threatened four cars nearby.
Moreno was a veteran aerial reporter for NBC4 Los Angeles and Telemundo, who had been flying in news choppers since 2010 – covering police pursuits, wildfires, traffic and major local events.
She began her career in the air after graduating from Chapman University in 2010, where she studied broadcast journalism and political science.
Moreno had worked at KCAL 9 and KCBS 2 before joining NBC and flying aboard NewsChopper4 around 2018 or 2019.
Marciniw was an experienced pilot who had logged more than 14,000 hours in the helicopter.
NBC4 and Telemundo said in a statement on Tuesday night: ‘We 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.
‘We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives.’
‘We are not in contact with our television news helicopter,’ longtime NBC 4 Los Angeles news anchor Colleen Williams said through tears live on television on Tuesday, while other reporters on the scene choked. ‘We have lost contact with our people.’
Williams also confirmed that the news helicopter was from NBC Los Angeles before the news station took a break.
When Mayor Karen Bass and other elected officials spoke about the tragedy later in the night where she was seen consoling NBC 4 reporter Robert Kovacik.
Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Branden Silverman had earlier told reporters on the scene that the helicopter is ‘pretty well destroyed.’
A friend of the two victims on the helicopter also told Fox Los Angeles he is ‘hurt,’ as he suggested the helicopter suffered from engine failure.
‘I’m lost for words, I don’t know what to say,’ he said, describing the pilot as experienced and noting that the NBC reporter was due to be married.
‘It’s heartbreaking to see the engine quit,’ the friend said.
Intel Point Alert on Twitter / XBREAKING: NBC LA announces death of colleagues following helicopter crash live on air pic.twitter.com/6B8eAj3W4N— Intel Point Alert (@IntelPointAlert) September 16, 2026
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The crash came as local media outlets rushed to get aerial footage of the fatal bus crash, showing people running away from the scene as police cruisers sped toward the fiery explosion.
It appeared the bus was crossing the intersection at around 5pm when the SUV T-boned it, sending both vehicles onto the curb, ABC 7 reports.
Authorities are now looking into the possibility that one of the vehicles ran a red light.
Two people were killed at the scene, while others were rushed to local hospitals. The extent of the victims’ injuries remains unclear.
One of those killed was reportedly ejected from the bus, while the other was said to have been on board.
An LA Urban Search and Rescue Team was also seen extricating multiple people from the vehicle, with at least one person found stuck underneath it, KTLA reports.
She was eventually freed and quickly loaded into an ambulance in unknown condition with what crews on the scene described as ‘crushing’ injuries.
Soon after the bus crash, images emerged showing the front half of the Ford SUV embedded in the side of the Metro bus.
When the vehicle was then removed, a gaping hole was visible in the bus’s side, according to the Los Angeles Times.
At the height of the response, there were more than 70 Fire Department personnel on scene, a spokesperson said at a news conference.
The intersection where the two fatal crashes occurred will now be closed for ‘quite some time,’ she noted.
In a brief statement, Bass said she is ‘absolutely devastated by the loss of life in Chatsworth tonight.
‘My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we lost in the tragic bus collision and helicopter crash,’ she posted on social media.
‘I’m grateful to the city teams who responded so quickly,’ she added, as she urged the public to ‘please stay clear of the area as public safety officials remain on scene.’
California Governor Gavin Newsom also shared his condolences.
‘Our hearts are with the victims and families of tonight’s devastating Metro bus and helicopter crashes in Chatsworth, and with the entire NBC4 family,’ he said in a statement.
‘Thank you to the first responders working tirelessly tonight.’
Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, added that it was ‘very sad news.’
Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the helicopter crash.