Tragic news befell the Los Angeles community on Tuesday evening, and a news station is now mourning two of its own. Yesterday, an NBC4 helicopter crashed in Chatsworth amid an assignment that night, and the two passengers were sadly killed. Additionally, one person who was on the ground also sadly lost their life. Following the truly unfortunate turn of events, the colleagues of the deceased journalists reported on the situation. With that, they also paid tribute to their late colleagues amid the 2026 TV schedule.
It was Colleen Williams and Carolyn Johnson who delivered the sad news during the evening broadcast. Williams began by stating that the crew at the station were coming with “heavy hearts” due to having lost “valued friends and colleagues.” Those two staffers were aerial reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw. During her address, Williams highlighted Moreno and Marciniw’s professional backgrounds. You can see the full TV report, which was shared to YouTube, below:
Eventually, Johnson and Williams also revealed that they were meant to throw to newscopter 4 for their first story of the evening before losing contact with the chopper. After throwing to an on-the-ground reporter who was covering the same story as the copter, the anchors apparently saw smoke, indicating to them that something had gone wrong. Williams and Johnson also shared a statement from NBC4 and Telemundo:
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.
Further context on the situation was provided by Robert Kovacik, the previously mentioned reporter who was on the ground. Reporting live from the scene, Kovacik sought to give accurate information on the crash. He stated that the news team was on the scene to report about an SUV crashing into a metro bus. Like the anchors, Kovacik said, however, that once he saw a giant plume of black smoke nearby, he knew something had happened with his colleagues in the chopper. Sadly, the reporter also mentioned that a fourth person was apparently so “upset” by what occurred that they had to be rushed to a hospital.
Condolences also came from Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass (who was linked to a situation involving Jimmy Kimmel earlier this summer). Bass was on the ground with her emergency response team at the time and, while addressing the public, she called it a “tragic day.” While sending her condolences to the family and loved ones of those involved in the helicopter crash and SUV collision, Bass also stated that it was a “heartbreaking night” for the city as a whole.
To say that this is a truly tragic situation would be an understatement. However, I applaud the journalists at NBC4 for maintaining their composure and honoring their colleagues in the wake of such a tragedy. Here at CinemaBlend, our hearts go out to them, the community of LA and of course, the loved ones of Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw.
