Three people were killed and two others were hospitalized Tuesday night in Chatsworth, Los Angeles, when a news helicopter operated by Angel City Air and reporting for NBC Los Angeles and Telemundo 52 crashed into a commercial area while covering an earlier, fatal collision between a passenger vehicle and a city bus.
A Double Tragedy Strikes the San Fernando Valley
The evening unraveled in rapid, devastating succession on Tuesday, September 15, in the northern Los Angeles neighborhood of Chatsworth. Shortly after 5 p.m., an SUV slammed into the middle of a Los Angeles Metro bus on Nordhoff Street, killing two people and injuring six others. Photos and video from the scene showed half of the passenger vehicle wedged deeply into the side of the transit bus, drawing an immediate press response.
As emergency crews and several television news helicopters hovered above the wreckage, a second catastrophe struck roughly two hours later. NewsChopper4—operated by Angel City Air—went down just before 7 p.m. in a parking lot near a self-storage facility on North Mason Avenue.
The aircraft crashed between two commercial buildings, erupting in a violent fire that quickly engulfed four cars and two storage containers. Ground witnesses described an unsettling descent before impact.
“My husband’s in law enforcement. He said the helicopter is looking strange. We noticed that it was swaying. Five seconds later… we saw large smoke.”
Authorities confirmed that three people died at the scene of the aviation crash. Fire Capt. Branden Silverman noted that at least one of the deceased individuals appeared to be a pedestrian on the ground in the commercial parking lot when the aircraft came down.
Photo: nbcnewyork.com
NBC Los Angeles identified the two crew members aboard the helicopter as aerial photojournalist Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw, both employees of Angel City Air. Moreno, born in Orange County, graduated from Chapman University in 2010 with a degree in broadcast journalism and political science, joining the aerial team that same year. Marciniw graduated from Burbank High School in 1974. Colleagues noted that the two had been flying together since 2023.
Live Broadcast Interruption and Official Reactions
The newsroom impact was immediate and raw. During a live broadcast, anchor Colleen Williams delivered the confirmation to viewers while her voice shook with emotion.
Photo: huffpost.com
“We knew it was a news chopper, we knew we’d lost contact with our people out there, and we’ve just received the confirmation that, in fact, NewsChopper 4 went down just before 7 o’clock tonight in Chatsworth. We’re going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, to process and to regroup.”
NBC Los Angeles helicopter crashes while covering fatal bus accident
Colleen Williams, NBC4 anchor
Moments later, the station’s coverage cut off. In a joint statement, NBC4 and Telemundo 52 expressed deep sorrow, extending condolences to the families and colleagues of those killed. Local and state leaders quickly offered public grief. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called it a devastating blow to the city during a late-night press briefing, where she and other officials embraced crying news staff at the scene.
“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 in the tragic bus collision and helicopter crash.”
Mayor Karen Bass, City of Los Angeles
Federal Investigation and Industry Safety Context
With the physical evidence severely compromised by the intense post-crash fire, investigators face a difficult task examining the wreckage. Capt. Branden Silverman noted that the aircraft was pretty well destroyed, adding that crews had to sift through rubble because officials could not even locate a tail structure.
