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Eliana Moreno spent years flying toward danger so viewers could understand what was happening on the ground below.
On Sept. 15, the veteran aerial reporter boarded a helicopter to cover yet another breaking news story in Los Angeles.
This time, she became part of the story herself.
Moreno died along with pilot George Marciniw after the helicopter providing aerial coverage for NBC4 Los Angeles and Telemundo 52 crashed shortly before 7 p.m. in Chatsworth, in the San Fernando Valley northwest of Los Angeles.
A third person on the ground was also killed, and two others were hospitalized.
Covering another tragedy when the crash occurred
The crew was providing aerial coverage of a serious collision between an SUV and a Metro bus in Chatsworth when NewsChopper4 went down near
the 9100 block of North Mason Avenue.
The helicopter crashed between two commercial buildings and caught fire. More than 50 firefighters responded to the scene and quickly extinguished the blaze.
The tragedy also carried a particularly painful dimension for NBC4 journalists. While reporting on the bus crash, they began to realize they had lost contact with their own colleagues.
Hours later, the station confirmed on air that Moreno and Marciniw had died.
“We are deeply saddened to report that a helicopter providing aerial coverage for NBC4 and Telemundo 52 was involved in a fatal crash in Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of those who lost their lives,” NBC4 and Telemundo 52 said in a joint statement.
“Tonight we mourn. We are heartbroken. We lost two great colleagues,” Telemundo 52 said while remembering both members of its team.
Who Was Eliana Moreno?
Moreno was born in Orange County, south of Los Angeles. In 2010, she graduated from Chapman University, where she studied broadcast Journalism and political science.
That same year, she joined the helicopter team at Angel City Air and built a career specializing in aerial journalism, providing coverage for various Southern California news outlets.
Over time, she became a familiar voice to NBC4 and Telemundo 52 audiences.
Her work involved far more than describing what she observed from an aircraft. As an aerial videographer and reporter, Moreno had to quickly identify what was happening on the ground, capture images, and provide information during events that could change from minute to minute.
On social media, she even used a phrase that summed up part of her professional identity: “Eli in the heli.”
A Career Defined by Breaking News
Long before the crash, Chapman University had highlighted the story of its alumna and the unique work she performed.
In December 2017, Moreno told the university that she had slept only two hours on a couch at her office before taking off before dawn to cover the wildfires that were sweeping through Southern California.
That morning, she ended up observing the massive Skirball Fire from the air near the Getty Center and Interstate 405, one example of the types of events that shaped her career.
Moreno had spent 16 years covering stories from the air when the crash occurred.
Since 2023, she had frequently flown alongside Marciniw. Both were employees of Angel City Air, the company that operated the helicopter used for NBC4 and Telemundo 52 coverage.
A life beyond the news industry
Outside of work, Moreno also shared moments from her personal life. In 2025, she became engaged to Robert Barrientos, and in May of this year the two completed a half marathon together.
Her death prompted an outpouring of condolences from colleagues who had worked with her and Marciniw for years.
For many viewers, her face may not have been as recognizable as those who appeared on camera every day. But her voice and the images captured from the helicopter were a familiar part of Los Angeles television news.
What Caused the Helicopter Crash?
As of the morning of Wednesday, September 16, the cause of the crash had not been publicly determined.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will investigate the crash. Authorities will seek to determine what happened in the minutes and seconds before the aircraft went down in Chatsworth.
The tragedy turned a journalist who was accustomed to documenting Los Angeles emergencies from the sky into the unwilling subject of one of them.
Eliana Moreno had built her career by arriving from the air wherever news was unfolding. On Tuesday night, she was once again covering a breaking news story when she died.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Who was Eliana Moreno? NBC4 reporter killed in helicopter crash
