An engaged reporter, a soon-to-retire pilot and a young tourist: What we know about the L.A. helicopter crash victims

Eliana Moreno, an aerial photojournalist-reporter, was engaged to be married. George Marciniw, a veteran pilot, was planning on retiring soon.

But Moreno won’t be able to walk down the aisle dressed in white, and Marciniw won’t relish in the downtime he had worked so hard and long for.

The news helicopter team was killed in a crash Tuesday evening in a commercial part of Los Angeles.

Edy Gutierrez Mejia, a young tourist from Guatemala, had arrived in L.A. hours before being fatally struck by the helicopter when it crashed into a business parking lot. At least two others were taken to the hospital with injuries, officials said.

The Eurocopter AS350, working for stations NBC4 and Telemundo 52, crashed while providing coverage of a fatal bus collision in Chatsworth, a suburban neighborhood about 25 miles northwest of downtown, the stations said.​‌

Video from the helicopter, showing the view outside as it descended to the ground, includes sounds of the engine losing power and a warning alarm seemingly alerting the pilot to the main blades slowing down, according to an analysis by CNN Aviation Correspondent Pete Muntean.

NBC4 anchor Colleen Williams said the station lost contact with its crew before confirming live on air the crash involved its helicopter team.

“We are going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, to process and to regroup,” she said, before the station switched temporarily to other programming.

The duo, Moreno and Marciniw, were employees of Angel City Air, the helicopter’s operator, and had been flying together since 2023, according to NBC4. CNN has reached out to Angel City Air.

George Marciniw/Instagram

Moreno and Marciniw worked closely on stories over the years, with both sharing photos together, their social media accounts showed.

While the cause of the crash is unknown, the National Transportation Safety Board is leading a probe into the wreck, with a preliminary report available in 30 days, followed by a final report detailing probable cause, which can take up to 18 months.

Now, instead of celebrating their next chapters, loved ones of the three killed in the helicopter crash are grieving their loss.

Here’s what we know about the victims:

Moreno “always wanted to be a news reporter,” her colleague, Lynette Romero, told NBC’s “ Today ” show Wednesday morning.

Born in Orange County, Moreno graduated from Chapman University in 2010 with a degree in broadcast journalism and political science, NBC4 reported. She joined Angel City Air in September 2010 and since then had reported for several regional outlets.

In 2023, Moreno received an award from the Radio and Television News Association of Southern California for “Best TV Continuing Coverage.”

Moreno came from a big family who was “so proud of her for … being on the news in her hometown,” Romero said.

Under the username eli_in_the_heli , Moreno gave viewers an inside look into her reporting from the sky. She explained how she often operated the camera attached to the front of the helicopter while narrating from inside the aircraft as the pilot navigated through coverage of brush fires, shootings and other pursuits all over town.

Moreno, an animal-lover, had dogs and chickens, according to Romero. On her Instagram bio, she writes she is a dog and chicken mom, with the initials “RB” written next to an engagement ring and orange heart emoji. Her fiance’s Instagram bio mirrors hers, with Moreno’s name written next to a heart emoji.

Moreno’s hobbies included line-dancing and running. In a May post, Moreno said she ran a half-marathon in under two hours with her fiance — despite having asthma. She posted photos of her and her fiance happily flaunting their medals after the race.

The couple seemingly got engaged on an October trip. Moreno shared a video of the trip, saying, “I will remember this trip to Tennessee for the rest of my life.” The song “Counting My Blessings” played in the background as Moreno showed off her ring alongside her fiance.

“She was just such a light, such a spark plug,” Romero said. “She’s teeny-tiny but she had the biggest heart and enthusiasm, it was really contagious.”

In one moment that demonstrated Moreno’s zeal for life, Romero recalled when her team had gone on a trip for a behind-the-scenes look at the chopper. Moreno was “so proud” to show them the aircraft and reveal how the machinery inside operated.

“She knew exactly what she was doing. She knew how to express it to our viewers,” Romero said.

“Our viewers are grieving, too. They lost somebody who they knew very intimately. When you have that voice of a news chopper reporter in your ear, it’s a very intimate relationship, right? They’re telling you exactly what they’re seeing, and you can hear it in their voice,” Romero added.

Along with having a voice that viewers instantly recognized, Moreno would easily switch between English and Spanish as she reported for NBC4 and Telemundo 52, Romero said.

Jonathan Gonzalez, co-anchor on NBC4, said Moreno was “extraordinarily gifted.”

Marciniw – who NBC4 says liked to be called “Jorge” when on Telemundo – was a lifelong Angeleno, Romero said. Well-known and respected in the industry, Marciniw loved his job and working with Moreno, according to NBC4.

He had deep roots in Southern California, having grown up in Burbank. He was a 1974 graduate of Burbank High School, north of Los Angeles, NBC4 reported.

He came with a wealth of experience, too: Marciniw was a helicopter flight instructor for over 30 years and had flown 14,000 hours, according to his page on iFlightPlanner . On his social media, Marciniw frequently shared photos of stunning views from his mobile perch atop California, often mentioning Moreno.

Pilot Esteban Jimenez said Marciniw, his longtime friend, was nearing retirement and had spoken to him about his plans two days before the crash.

“I knew him since the 90s. He was my instructor at one time, he was my eyes and ears here in L.A.,” Jimenez told NBC4. “I just cannot believe this.”

California state Sen. Caroline Menjivar paid tribute to Marciniw on Wednesday.

“Our hearts are with George’s family, friends, and all those grieving this heartbreaking loss,” she said.

Moreno and Marciniw’s NBC4 team is heartbroken, Romero said.

“They were both doing what they loved so much and for me that’s comfort in knowing how happy they were. They loved breaking news, and they loved being in News Chopper 4,” Romero said.

NBC4 and Telemundo 52 said in a joint statement they are “deeply saddened” about the tragedy.

“We’re going to miss them beyond words,” Gonzalez said.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed the third victim was Mejia, a 29-year-old pedestrian who had been in a business parking lot when the plane plummeted. Mejia had just arrived in L.A. from Guatemala on Tuesday, N+ Univision Los Angeles reported .

Mejia, known as “Pichi,” is from the town of Cuilapa in southeastern Guatemala.

The town said they “deeply regret the tragic passing” of Mejia, according to a translated statement.

“We offer a prayer for the eternal rest of his soul and ask God to grant his family strength and peace during this time of sorrow,” the statement said in Spanish.

“He was very playful, he liked to tell jokes and make people laugh,” his family told Univision in Spanish.

Mejia “liked to participate in town activities when there were fairs or events. He always helped to set up stages, he helped with sound checks.”

CNN has reached out to the Consulate General of Guatemala in Los Angeles.

“This is a very, very, very tragic day in Los Angeles,” Mayor Karen Bass said at the scene, referring to both the helicopter crash and the deadly bus collision, which also left two people dead. “My heart certainly goes out to the family and friends of all of those that we lost.”

“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,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said.

CNN’s Karina Tsui and Andy Rose contributed to this report.

航空摄影记者埃莉安娜·莫雷诺已经订婚。资深飞行员乔治·马尔西尼乌也计划不久后退休。

但莫雷诺将无法身着白色婚纱走上红毯，而马尔西尼乌也无法享受他辛辛苦苦争取来的闲暇时光。

周二晚间，洛杉矶商业区发生一起坠机事故，新闻直升机摄制组全员遇难。

来自危地马拉的年轻游客埃迪·古铁雷斯·梅希亚（Edy Gutierrez Mejia）在直升机坠毁于一家商业停车场前几个小时抵达洛杉矶，不幸被直升机撞击身亡。官员称，另有至少两人受伤送医。

据NBC4和Telemundo 52电视台称，一架为这两家电视台服务的欧洲直升机公司AS350型直升机在报道查茨沃斯（位于市中心西北约25英里处的一个郊区）发生的一起致命公交车碰撞事故时坠毁。

据 CNN 航空记者皮特·蒙蒂安 (Pete Muntean) 分析，从直升机拍摄的视频显示，直升机下降到地面时，可以看到外面的景象，包括发动机动力下降的声音以及似乎在提醒飞行员主旋翼转速降低的警告警报。

NBC4 主播 Colleen Williams 表示，该电视台在直播中确认坠机事件涉及其直升机队之前，与机组人员失去了联系。

“我们将花几分钟时间思考一下，消化一下，重新组织一下，”她说，之后电台暂时切换到了其他节目。

据NBC4报道，莫雷诺和马尔西尼乌是直升机运营商Angel City Air的员工，两人自2023年以来一直一起飞行。CNN已联系Angel City Air。

George Marciniw/Instagram

多年来，莫雷诺和马尔西尼乌在新闻报道方面密切合作，两人还经常分享合照，他们的社交媒体账号显示了这一点。

虽然事故原因尚不清楚，但国家运输安全委员会正在牵头对这起事故进行调查，初步报告将在 30 天内发布，随后将发布一份详细说明可能原因的最终报告，这可能需要长达 18 个月的时间。

现在，直升机坠毁事故中遇难的三人的亲人，本应庆祝他们人生的新篇章，如今却沉浸在失去亲人的悲痛之中。

以下是我们了解到的受害者情况：

莫雷诺的同事莱内特·罗梅罗周三早上在接受NBC“今日”节目采访时表示，莫雷诺“一直想成为一名新闻记者”。

据NBC4报道，莫雷诺出生于橙县，2010年毕业于查普曼大学，获得广播新闻和政治学学位。她于2010年9月加入天使之城广播电台，此后曾为多家地区性媒体撰稿。

2023 年，莫雷诺获得了南加州广播电视新闻协会颁发的“最佳电视连续报道奖”。

罗梅罗说，莫雷诺来自一个大家庭，“家人都为她能上家乡的新闻而感到无比自豪”。

莫雷诺以用户名eli_in_the_heli向观众展示了她从空中进行报道的幕后过程。她解释说，她经常在直升机前部操作摄像机，同时在机舱内进行解说，而飞行员则驾驶直升机飞越城镇各处的灌木丛火灾、枪击事件和其他追捕行动现场。

据罗梅罗说，莫雷诺是个动物爱好者，养过狗和鸡。她的Instagram简介上写着自己是“狗妈妈”和“鸡妈妈”，旁边还附有订婚戒指和橙色爱心表情符号，以及姓名缩写“RB”。她未婚夫的Instagram简介也和她的一样，莫雷诺的名字旁边也附有一个爱心表情符号。

莫雷诺的爱好包括排舞和跑步。她在五月份的一篇帖子中提到，尽管患有哮喘，她还是和未婚夫一起在两小时内跑完了半程马拉松。她还发布了自己和未婚夫赛后兴高采烈地展示奖牌的照片。

这对情侣似乎是在十月份的一次旅行中订婚的。莫雷诺分享了一段旅行视频，并配文说：“我会永远记住这次田纳西之旅。”视频背景音乐是​​《Counting My Blessings》，莫雷诺和未婚夫一起展示了她的订婚戒指。

“她就像一束光，一个活力四射的火花，”罗梅罗说。“她个子很小，但却拥有一颗无比善良的心和满腔热情，这真的很有感染力。”

罗梅罗回忆起莫雷诺的一次经历，那次她的团队去参观直升机的幕后运作，莫雷诺“非常自豪”地向他们展示了这架飞机，并讲解了内部机械的运作原理。这充分展现了莫雷诺对生活的热情。

罗梅罗说：“她非常清楚自己在做什么。她知道如何向我们的观众表达出来。”

“我们的观众也同样悲痛。他们失去了一位非常熟悉的人。当你的耳边传来新闻直升机记者的声音时，那是一种非常亲密的关系，对吧？他们会如实告诉你他们所看到的，你能从他们的声音中听出来，”罗梅罗补充道。

罗梅罗说，莫雷诺的声音很容易被观众认出来，而且她在为 NBC4 和 Telemundo 52 做报道时，能够轻松地在英语和西班牙语之间切换。

NBC4 的联合主播乔纳森·冈萨雷斯表示，莫雷诺“天赋异禀”。

据NBC4报道，马尔西尼乌（Marciniw）在Telemundo电视台工作时喜欢别人叫他“豪尔赫”（Jorge），罗梅罗（Romero）说，他一生都居住在洛杉矶。马尔西尼乌在业内享有盛名，备受尊敬，他热爱自己的工作，也喜欢与莫雷诺（Moreno）共事。

据NBC4报道，他与南加州有着深厚的渊源，在伯班克长大，1974年毕业于洛杉矶北部的伯班克高中。

他经验丰富：据iFlightPlanner上的页面显示，马尔西尼乌担任直升机飞行教官超过30年，飞行时间达14000小时。在他的社交媒体上，马尔西尼乌经常分享从他位于加州山顶的移动飞行器上拍摄的壮丽景色照片，并经常提到莫雷诺。

飞行员埃斯特班·希门尼斯说，他的老朋友马尔西尼乌即将退休，并在坠机前两天和他谈过自己的退休计划。

“我从90年代就认识他了。他曾经是我的导师，他是我在洛杉矶的耳目，”吉梅内斯告诉NBC4电视台。“我简直不敢相信这是真的。”

加州州参议员卡罗琳·门吉瓦尔周三向马尔西尼乌致敬。

“我们与乔治的家人、朋友以及所有为失去他而悲痛的人们同在，”她说。

罗梅罗说，莫雷诺和马尔西尼乌所在的NBC4团队感到非常伤心。

“他们都在做自己热爱的事情，知道他们很快乐，我感到很欣慰。他们热爱突发新闻，也热爱在4号新闻直升机上工作，”罗梅罗说。

NBC4 和 Telemundo 52 在一份联合声明中表示，他们对这起悲剧“深感悲痛”。

“我们会无比想念他们，”冈萨雷斯说。

洛杉矶县法医办公室证实，第三名遇难者是29岁的行人梅希亚，飞机坠毁时他正在一家企业的停车场内。据N+ Univision洛杉矶频道报道，梅希亚周二刚从危地马拉抵达洛杉矶。

梅希亚，又名“皮奇”，来自危地马拉东南部的库伊拉帕镇。

根据一份翻译后的声明，该镇表示对梅希亚的不幸去世“深感惋惜”。

声明用西班牙语说道：“我们为他的灵魂祈祷，愿他安息，并祈求上帝在这个悲伤的时刻赐予他的家人力量与平安。”

“他非常爱玩，喜欢讲笑话逗大家开心，”他的家人用西班牙语告诉Univision电视台。

梅希亚“喜欢参加镇上的集市或活动。他总是帮忙搭建舞台，帮忙进行音响测试。”

CNN已联系危地马拉驻洛杉矶总领事馆。

“对于洛杉矶来说，今天是一个非常、非常、非常悲惨的日子，”市长凯伦·巴斯在现场说道，她指的是直升机坠毁事故和造成两人死亡的致命巴士相撞事故。“我向所有遇难者的家人和朋友致以最深切的慰问。”

加州州长加文·纽森表示：“我们与今晚在查茨沃斯发生的毁灭性地铁巴士和直升机坠毁事故的受害者及其家属，以及整个NBC4大家庭同在。”

CNN的Karina Tsui和Andy Rose对本报道亦有贡献。