Three people, including two crew members and one person on the ground, were killed after an NBC News helicopter crashed in Los Angeles while covering a car accident.
The two crew members were identified as NBC4 and Telemundo reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw. The duo had been flying together since 2023, NBC Los Angeles reported.
“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,” NBC4 and Telemundo 52 said in a statement. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives.”
Witnesses said the helicopter exploded upon impact. Fire Capt. Brandon Silverman noted shortly after the crash that everybody onboard the helicopter was killed outright.
“From the helicopter itself, it’s pretty well destroyed,” he said. “So we are going to have to go through the rubble and see how many victims there were on board, as well as identify the helicopter; we couldn’t even see a tail.”
The helicopter crashed between two commercial buildings, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department, damaging four cars and two storage containers.
The crew was covering a ground vehicle crash where an SUV hit an L.A. Metro bus, a separate incident that killed three people and wounded six more. Several news and police helicopters were covering the scene when the NBC chopper crashed.
Live footage from the helicopter showed its final moments. The camera was filming the SUV crash site when an alarm sound could be heard. The pilot, Marciniw, can be heard yelling in frustration when a concerned Moreno said, “Can you, you can’t pull up?”
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The camera zoomed out as the helicopter began rapidly descending, then the footage cut out.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) both extended their condolences to the victims.