Tributes to Eliana Moreno after reporter dies doing 'best job in the world' in helicopter crash
A news helicopter crash has sparked an outpouring of tributes to a veteran reporter and helicopter pilot who passed away in a crash while it was taking footage for reports of a fatal bus accident yesterday evening (15 September).
NBC4 Los Angeles was live on air at the time its news aircraft as the Fire Department confirmed three people had died in the crash.
The aircraft crashed in a parking lot in Chatsworth, part of Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
At the time of the crash, those at the NBC4 Los Angeles station had revealed they had 'lost contact' with their air team.
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Tearfully, they went on to update that it had been confirmed that it was their chopper which had crashed, killing Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw, as well as an unnamed person on the ground.
Anchor Colleen Williams: “We can now confirm that the chopper that went down in Chatsworth tonight, about two hours ago, was in fact news chopper four.
“We’ve been telling you that we’ve been piecing it together here, we knew it was a news chopper and we knew we’d lost contact with our people out there, and we’ve just received the confirmation that in fact news chopper four went down just before seven o’clock tonight in Chatsworth.
“We’re going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, to process and to regroup.”
In light of the heartbreaking news, tributes have been pouring in for Moreno, who had been a reporter since her graduation in 2010.
On person wrote: “May God have mercy on your beautiful soul, Eliana, and may choirs of angels welcome you into the Kingdom of Heaven. May your light shine on forever.”
Under an image of Moreno at work on her Instagram account, people continued to leave messages where the reporter had claimed working in the air was 'the best job in the world'.
A user said: " Ahh this caption made me so sad."
Someone else wrote: " What a sad, tragic loss. She such great reporter in chapter. She will greatly will missed. RIP."
A third said: "May you Rest In Peace your gona be truly missed ! My heart goes out to ur family."
According to The Post, Moreno covered all things in the air from police pursuits to brush fires, traffic and local events.
Moreno graduated from Chapman University with degrees in broadcast journalism and political science before working for the likes of KCAL 9 and KCBS 2 and NBC where she'd eventually begin flying aboard NewsChopper4.
In a joint statement regarding the sad deaths of those on and around the chopper, NBC 4 and Telemundo 52 said it was ‘deeply saddened' by the news.
The statement read: “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.”
Topics: US News
Britt Jones