NBC4 Reporter and Pilot Killed in Los Angeles Helicopter Crash
For years, residents of Southern California knew Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw as the duo that brought breaking news from high above the scene. Moreno was the reporter and aerial photojournalist. Marciniw was the pilot. Together, they flew hundreds of hours covering wildfires, police pursuits, traffic accidents, severe weather, and other major stories for NBC4 and Telemundo 52. Viewers knew Moreno by her nickname, “Eli in the Heli.”
On September 15, those years of work came to a tragic end when the NewsChopper 4 helicopter that had served as their mobile studio rapidly lost altitude and crashed between two buildings in Chatsworth. Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw were covering a deadly bus crash when NewsChopper4 crashed. Moreno and Marciniw were killed, as was 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia, a man who was on the ground near the crash site. The National Transportation Safety Board is now investigating what caused the helicopter to fall.
Eliana Moreno Had Spent Her Career Working Toward This Job
Moreno, a 38-year-old from Tustin, California, was passionate about journalism long before she landed a job in NBC4’s helicopter. She graduated from Foothill High School before attending Chapman University, where she earned degrees in broadcast journalism and political science in 2010. Former professors and colleagues have described her as someone who had a remarkably clear idea of what she wanted to do. One Chapman professor recalled that Moreno had told him about having a helicopter pilot's license and the career she hoped to build.
Even by TV news network standards, that career became an unusual one. Moreno joined Angel Air in 2010 and eventually became a bilingual reporter for NBC4 and Telemundo 52. While many reporters have simply talked to a camera from the backseat of a chopper, Moreno combined reporting, photography, and editing to produce the images that her viewers saw.
“Eli In The Heli” Became A Familiar Voice In Southern California
The nature of Eli Moreno’s job meant that she was often present when there was a crisis on the ground. She reported from above during the devastating Southern California wildfires, police pursuits, major accidents, and countless other breaking-news situations. Over time, Moreno and NBC4 started presenting her as “Eli on the Heli,” a playful twist on her name.
The people who knew Eliana Moreno outside of her helicopter remembered much more than the stories that she covered with such accuracy. She was engaged to be married, loved animals, and described herself as a dog and chicken mom. Colleagues and former professors remembered her enthusiasm, kindness, and determination, while one former Irvine colleague described her as “such a bright light.”
George Marciniw Had Decades Of Experience In The Air
George Marciniw’s aviation career spanned decades. A Southern California native, he graduated from Burbank High School in 1974 and went on to become a veteran pilot and flight instructor. He had spent years flying over the region and was familiar with the kinds of breaking-news assignments that routinely sent NewsChopper4 into the sky.
George Marciniw started working with Moreno in 2023. Over the roughly three years that followed, the pair developed the type of chemistry that is so important in a news helicopter, where the reporter and the pilot need to stay on the same page while conditions on the ground change rapidly.
Fellow pilots described him as someone who was well-liked and generous with his knowledge, while neighbors remembered him as friendly and involved in the everyday life of his community. One neighbor told CBS Los Angeles that Marciniw was always the first to say hello to her children.
Investigators Have One Remarkable Piece Of Evidence
The Los Angeles helicopter crash is even more of a tragedy because of what was happening on the ground when it happened. Marciniw and Moreno had been sent to cover a fatal collision between an SUV and a Los Angeles Metro bus in Chatsworth. Two deaths had already been reported, and roughly two hours later, the NBC4 helicopter crashed.
The helicopter went down shortly before 7 p.m. between two commercial buildings in the 9100 block of Mason Avenue. The impact sparked a large fire that damaged nearby vehicles and storage containers. One person on the ground, Edy Guitierrez Mejia, 29, was also killed. He was visiting LA from Guatemala and had arrived in the US only days earlier.
Investigators are still working to determine what caused the Los Angeles helicopter crash, and they’re using the live broadcast footage. The aircraft was transmitting video shortly before it went down. In the recording, an alert can be heard inside the cockpit as the helicopter begins losing altitude. The aircraft appears to move away from the original crash scene as the descent begins.
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