Three died in helicopter crash that compounded Chatsworth bus tragedy
Prosecutors in Los Angeles County have filed two counts of murder against Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, for a Tuesday crash in Chatsworth in which her SUV struck an LA Metro bus, killing two passengers. The tragedy compounded hours later when a news helicopter covering the scene plunged to the ground, killing two crew members and a pedestrian on the street below.
According to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, Rios was allegedly driving under the influence when she traveled the wrong direction on a Chatsworth roadway, ran a red light, and collided with the bus. The two bus passengers killed were identified as Daniel Castillo, 46, and Gage Weida, 31. Rios was being held on $4.1 million bail and was scheduled to be arraigned on 18 September, the Guardian reported. Online court records did not list a lawyer who might speak on her behalf, and the public defender’s office did not immediately return a message about whether it was representing her.
Castillo left behind four children. “We are still trying to process the unimaginable reality that he is no longer with us,” his youngest daughter, Johaunna, wrote on a fundraising page for funeral expenses. Weida’s family had planned to visit him for his 32nd birthday, his father, Jeffrey Weida, told CBS LA. “Unfortunately, we’re still heading out there, but for all the wrong reasons,” he said.
In the hours after the bus collision, a news helicopter responding to the scene crashed in Chatsworth, killing two crew members and a pedestrian on the ground. The dead were identified as pilot George Marciniw and reporter Eliana Moreno, both of Angel City Air, a helicopter contractor providing aerial coverage for NBC4 and Telemundo 52, and 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia. A vigil was planned for Thursday evening to honor the victims of both crashes.
Moreno, born in Orange County, joined Angel City Air in 2010, the same year she earned a broadcast journalism and political science degree from Chapman University. She reported for several news outlets and began flying with Marciniw in 2023, NBC4 said. Marciniw grew up in southern California and graduated from Burbank high school in 1974.
Reached Wednesday, Rios’s mother, Cindy, said she was shocked and saddened by the string of events. She said she had not spoken to her daughter since her arrest and had not been contacted by law enforcement. She could not be immediately reached on Thursday for additional comment.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement: “The deadly and destructive consequences of her actions will be felt for years to come.” Stephanie Wiggins, chief executive of LA Metro, extended her sympathies to the bus crash’s victims and their families. “We are grateful to the first responders who rushed to the scene and to the law enforcement investigators and prosecutors working to establish the facts and pursue justice,” she said in a statement.
Federal investigators are examining the helicopter’s final seconds. National Transportation Safety Board investigator Fabian Salazar said on Wednesday that cockpit video recovered from the aircraft was “probably the most important evidence that we have discovered so far.” In the video, an alarm can be heard inside the cockpit as the helicopter loses altitude. A woman’s voice says “Uh oh,” then “You can’t pull up?” before the video stops as the chopper nears the ground.
Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti said the alarm suggested a potential loss of engine power and a dangerous decrease in the main rotor speed. He said the pilot appeared to be attempting an emergency maneuver to use the wind to force the rotor to spin again. The NTSB is also investigating the bus collision.
According to a review of federal accident records and news accounts, there have been at least eight fatal crashes involving news helicopters in the United States since 2000, killing 16 people.