Angel City Air Helicopter Crash Claims Three Lives

A helicopter operated by Angel City Air on behalf of NBC Los Angeles crashed in a parking lot in Chatsworth, a community in the Fernando Valley, on Tuesday evening, killing three individuals: pilot George Marciniw, aerial photojournalist Eliana Moreno, and pedestrian Edy Gutierrez Mejia, 29. The Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed the crash occurred shortly before 7 p.m. while the helicopter was providing aerial coverage of a bus collision on Nordhoff Street.

Fire Battalion Chief Rico A. Read reported that three were found dead at the scene, while two others were hospitalized.

NBC Los Angeles anchor Colleen Williams announced the crash on air, confirming the loss of contact with the helicopter. Moreno, a graduate of Chapman University, joined Angel City Air in 2010, while Marciniw was a Southern California native.

Eyewitness Zareh Sevanesian described the helicopter's unusual behavior before it crashed, resulting in a violent fire. NBC Los Angeles and Telemundo 52 expressed condolences, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called it a "heartbreaking night.".