At least three people were killed and two injured when a news helicopter crashed while covering a crash involving a bus and a car in northwest Los Angeles. As a result of that accident, two more people were killed and several were injured.
As reported by NBC News, according to preliminary data, the helicopter crash killed the pilot and the journalist who were in it, and a passerby.
The first two victims have now been identified: Eliana Moreno, an employee of NBC Los Angeles and its subsidiary Spanish-language channel Telemundo 52, and pilot George Marciniv. They have worked together since 2023.
George Marciniw/Facebook
The causes of the accident are currently unknown.
“My husband works in law enforcement. He said the helicopter looked strange. We noticed that he was swaying. Five seconds later… we saw thick smoke,” NBC Los Angeles quoted an eyewitness as saying.
The helicopter crashed in a parking lot between warehouses in the Chatsworth area of the San Fernando Valley. A fire started, damaging four cars and two containers.
“The helicopter itself is almost completely destroyed. So we'll have to sort through the wreckage to find out how many victims were on board, as well as identify the helicopter; we couldn’t even see its tail,” said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brandon Silverman.
The helicopter belonged to NBC Los Angeles and was directly operated by Angel City Air, which provides a full range of aerial photography services. They have not commented on the disaster at this time. NBC Los Angeles and Telemundo 52 expressed their condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the victims.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said it was a “heartbreaking night for our city.” She thanked the emergency services for their quick response and expressed condolences for the loss of life in both the accident and the helicopter crash. California Governor Gavin Newsom also issued a similar statement.
