NBC Reporter Killed in Fiery LA Helicopter Crash

NBC4 aerial reporter Eliana Moreno was killed in a horrifying helicopter crash in Los Angeles on Tuesday, less than a year after celebrating her engagement and just months after accomplishing a major personal goal.

Moreno, 38, and veteran pilot George Marciniw were aboard NewsChopper4 when the aircraft went down in the Chatsworth neighborhood shortly before 7 p.m. on September 15.

The helicopter had been covering a deadly collision involving an SUV and a Metro bus when it crashed between two commercial buildings and burst into flames.

Moreno and Marciniw were both killed, along with a third person who was on the ground. Two other people were hospitalized following the crash. More than 70 firefighters responded as flames spread to four vehicles and two storage containers.

The tragedy came during what appeared to be an especially happy chapter in Moreno’s personal life.

She became engaged to Robert Barrientos in October 2025 and frequently shared glimpses of their life together on social media.

In May, Moreno completed an Orange County half marathon alongside her fiancé — an achievement that reportedly began with a much smaller New Year’s resolution to simply run one mile.

Despite struggling with asthma, she kept training and eventually completed the 13.1-mile race in under two hours.

It was another milestone for a woman whose career had already taken her high above some of Southern California’s biggest breaking news stories.

Moreno, an Orange County native, graduated from Chapman University in 2010 after studying broadcast journalism and political science. She joined helicopter operator Angel City Air that same year and spent more than 15 years working in aerial journalism.

Known to followers as “Eli in the Heli,” Moreno became a familiar voice to viewers of both NBC4 Los Angeles and Telemundo 52.

Her work frequently placed her above police pursuits, wildfires, crashes and other major breaking-news scenes across the region.

NBC4 said Moreno and Marciniw had been flying together since 2023. Marciniw was a longtime Southern California helicopter pilot, and published professional profiles credit him with decades of flight experience.

Moreno had previously described aerial journalism as the “best job in the world.”

Her employer, Angel City Air, also listed her as an aerial photographer who joined the company shortly after graduating from Chapman. Before becoming closely associated with NBC4 and Telemundo 52, she had worked with several other Southern California media outlets.

The crash unfolded while multiple news helicopters were covering another tragedy nearby.

About two hours earlier, an SUV slammed into a Metro bus in Chatsworth, killing at least two people and injuring six others, according to authorities.

NewsChopper4 was among the aircraft covering that scene when it went down several blocks away.

Witnesses described seeing the helicopter behaving unusually moments before impact.

One woman told NBC Los Angeles that she and her husband noticed the aircraft “swaying” before they suddenly saw smoke.

The helicopter crashed into an area between warehouses, igniting an intense fire that damaged nearby vehicles and cargo containers.

NBC4 viewers also witnessed an emotional moment after the station realized it had lost its crew.

Anchor Colleen Williams confirmed on air that NewsChopper4 had crashed and later identified Moreno and Marciniw as the colleagues who had died.

NBC4 and Telemundo 52 said they were “deeply saddened” by the loss and offered condolences to the victims’ families, friends and coworkers.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the day devastating, while California Gov. Gavin Newsom also offered condolences to those affected by both the bus collision and helicopter crash.

The cause of the helicopter crash remains unknown.

Video circulating from the aircraft’s final moments has prompted speculation about a possible mechanical or engine problem, but federal investigators have not reached that conclusion.

The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash, and investigators were expected at the scene Wednesday.

Moreno’s death has left colleagues mourning a journalist whose career was largely spent covering other people’s emergencies from above Los Angeles.

Less than a year before the crash, however, she had been celebrating a very different kind of milestone — her engagement and the future she was preparing to build with Barrientos.