3 dead including reporter, pilot in news helicopter crash in LA
The NTSB and FAA are investigating the crash in Chatsworth, California.
A reporter, a pilot and one person on the ground were killed when a news helicopter crashed in Los Angeles near the scene of a deadly bus collision in what Mayor Karen Bass called a "heartbreaking night for our city."
Both incidents unfolded Tuesday in Chatsworth, a suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley.
The helicopter crashed between two commercial buildings in a fiery blaze shortly before 7 p.m. local time, officials said.
NBC Los Angeles confirmed that its reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw were killed, saying the duo "logged hundreds of hours together in the sky" on stories including the January 2025 wildfires.
A third person, a pedestrian on the ground, was also killed in the crash, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office identified the victim as 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia.
A fourth person was also taken to a hospital in the incident, the LAFD said.
Multiple news helicopters and reporters were at the scene due to a crash between a Metro bus and an SUV that occurred around 5 p.m. local time. That crash left two people dead and several others injured, authorities said. The SUV driver, Bailee Lynn Rios, is being held on suspicion of murder for her alleged role in the bus crash, according to the LAPD.
The mayor said in a statement, "I'm absolutely devastated by the loss of life in Chatsworth tonight. My heart is with the families and loved ones of those 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 in a statement. "Thank you to the first responders working tirelessly tonight."
LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said he was extending "my deepest condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of all those who tragically lost their lives."
"My heart is also with the colleagues of the NBC4 team and everyone impacted by these heartbreaking events," Luna said in a statement.
The cause of the helicopter crash is not clear.
National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge Fabian Salazar said Wednesday that among the "most important evidence" is video taken from the reporter and pilot in the helicopter right before the crash.
"What we are going to do is get a pristine copy of that recording and send it to our recorder's lab for a sound spectrum analysis, because in that recording, we are clearly hearing sounds that are consistent with the engine changing its speed," Salazar said. "We're also hearing tones that are being generated that are likely advisories to the pilots."
The NTSB said its preliminary report will be released in 30 days and it could take up to 18 months for a final report with a cause.
ABC News' Ayesha Ali, Jennifer Watts and Vanessa Navarrete contributed to this report.
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