Williams: NBC4 lost ‘valued friends and colleagues’ in Chatsworth
NBC4 Los Angeles aerial photojournalist Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw had been flying together since 2023 when their helicopter, News Chopper 4, crashed in the Chatsworth area of the San Fernando Valley on Tuesday evening, the station said. Both crew members and a pedestrian on the ground were killed, NBC4 anchor Coleen Williams confirmed during a live broadcast.
“We’re coming on the air with heavy hearts tonight because we lost valued friends and colleagues just before 7 p.m.,” Williams said. “News Chopper 4 crashed in Chatsworth while on assignment tonight. Both people on board and a third person on the ground were killed. Our crew was there covering a deadly crash involving a bus and an SUV just a couple of blocks away.”
The bus-SUV collision the helicopter crew had been covering occurred at around 5 p.m. local time, killing two people and sending multiple others to a hospital, officials said. The helicopter came down about two hours later, killing three. Multiple people were also brought to a hospital. The third person killed in the helicopter crash was a pedestrian near the crash site, fire officials said, and their identity was not immediately known.
Moreno was born and raised in Orange County and graduated from Chapman University with a degree in broadcast journalism and political science, the anchors said during the broadcast. Marciniw grew up in Southern California and graduated from Burbank High School in 1974.
The station’s first story of the evening was “supposed to be with News Chopper 4,” the anchors said, but “all of a sudden, we lost contact with the chopper.”
At a news conference Tuesday night, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called it a “very, very, very tragic day” for the city. “We lost five Angelenos today,” Bass said. “And my heart certainly go out to the family and friends of all of those that we lost. This is a heartbreaking night for our city and my thoughts and prayers are first and foremost with the families and loved ones that we lost today. Our hearts are with those impacted by the bus collision and the helicopter crash, and with the entire community who lost members of their team while they were doing their job.”
NBC Los Angeles and Telemundo 52 issued a joint statement expressing condolences: “We are deeply saddened to share that a helicopter providing aerial news coverage for NBC4 and Telemundo 52 was involved in a fatal accident in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom released a statement Tuesday night saying that “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.” “Thank you to the first responders working tirelessly tonight,” he added.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration said they will be investigating the helicopter crash.