Eliana Moreno spent 16 years reporting from a helicopter above Los Angeles, covering wildfires, police pursuits, and major accidents in both English and Spanish. She died on September 15, 2026, when the news helicopter she was aboard crashed in the Chatsworth area of the San Fernando Valley, killing her, the pilot, and a pedestrian on the ground. This article covers everything confirmed about who she was — her background, career, the crash, and the life she was building outside the newsroom.
Confirmed Fact: Eliana Moreno’s death on September 15, 2026 is verified and confirmed by NBC Los Angeles, NBC News, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, and Chapman University. This is not a rumor.
Background: Who Was Eliana Moreno?
Eliana Moreno was a 38-year-old aerial photojournalist based in Southern California. She worked for NBC4 Los Angeles and its Spanish-language sister station, Telemundo 52, reporting live from NewsChopper 4 — a helicopter operated by Angel City Air, the aerial production company that has partnered with NBC Los Angeles for its airborne coverage.
Her handle on Instagram was “Eli in the Heli,” a nickname that also doubled as a perfect description of her job. She was one of very few aerial reporters in the country who could broadcast live in two languages simultaneously, switching between English for NBC4’s audience and Spanish for Telemundo 52 viewers in the same flight. Colleagues described that ability as a genuine art. NBC4 anchor Lynette Romero said Moreno moved between the two languages “with precision” and did it “flawlessly.”
She and pilot George Marciniw had worked together regularly since 2023. Newsrooms frequently refer to aerial teams as “the eyes and ears in the sky,” and for Southern California viewers, that description genuinely applied to Moreno and Marciniw. They covered some of the region’s most significant breaking news events together — the kind of stories that unfold fast and are impossible to follow properly from the ground.
Why are people searching for her right now? Because she died suddenly while doing the work she had done for 16 years. Her death on the evening of September 15, 2026, shocked her newsroom, her colleagues across Southern California media, and thousands of viewers who had watched her from their living rooms for years without knowing much about her life off the air.
Latest Update
As of September 17, 2026
As of September 17, 2026, here is what is currently confirmed. Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw were killed on the evening of Tuesday, September 15, 2026, when NewsChopper 4 crashed in the Chatsworth neighborhood of Los Angeles. A pedestrian on the ground — identified by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office as 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia, who had been visiting from Guatemala — also died in the crash. Three people total lost their lives.
The helicopter had been flying above a separate accident scene — a collision between a Metro bus and an SUV — when it went down. The crash happened just before 7:00 PM local time in the 9100 block of North Mason Avenue, coming down between two commercial warehouses and landing in a parking lot. The helicopter burst into flames on impact. Los Angeles Fire Department responders described NewsChopper 4 as “pretty well destroyed” when they arrived on scene. Four vehicles and two storage containers near the impact site were also damaged in the resulting fire.
Investigation Status: As of September 17, 2026, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has confirmed it is gathering information on the crash. A full investigation is underway. No official cause of the crash has been determined yet. The NTSB typically takes months to reach a final ruling in helicopter accident investigations.
Tributes began arriving within hours of the crash being confirmed. Telemundo released a statement calling Moreno “without a doubt” the best airborne reporter in Los Angeles and describing her as “a wonderful human being.” NBC Los Angeles aired tributes and memorial coverage. Chapman University, where Moreno earned her degree, released a formal statement. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy — who had known of Moreno through her career in U.S. journalism — did not comment, but the crash drew national attention from media industry figures across the country.
Full Profile
| Eliana Moreno — Quick Reference | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Eliana Moreno |
| Date of Death | September 15, 2026 |
| Age at Death | 38 years old |
| Birthplace | Orange County, California (Tustin) |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Hispanic/Latina American (specific national origin unconfirmed) |
| Education | Chapman University — B.A. Broadcast Journalism & Political Science (or Social Science), 2010 |
| Career | Aerial photojournalist, NBC4 Los Angeles & Telemundo 52 |
| Employer | Angel City Air / NBC Los Angeles |
| Partner | Robert Barrientos (fiancé) |
| Marital Status | Engaged, not married at time of death |
| Religion | Not publicly confirmed |
| Height | Described by colleagues as “teeny tiny” — exact measurement unconfirmed |
| @eliintheheli (account verified by NBC News) | |
| Net Worth | Not publicly disclosed |
Family and Early Life
Eliana Moreno was born and raised in Orange County, California, specifically in Tustin — a mid-sized city in the center of the county. Her family’s names have not been released publicly, and as of September 17, 2026, her family has requested privacy in the immediate aftermath of her death. What is known is that she was close to her family and described by those who knew her as family-oriented. Multiple sources mention a shared home in Tustin, which she maintained alongside her connection to the Los Angeles media world.
Moreno developed her ambition early. Multiple accounts confirm that she knew she wanted to be a television news reporter by the age of 11 — a detail she shared publicly and that her colleagues at NBC4 referenced in their tributes. She is described as having a Latino heritage consistent with her bilingual fluency and surname, but the specific national origin of her family has not been publicly documented. Her ethnicity is most accurately described as Hispanic or Latina American.
Career Path
After graduating from Chapman University in 2010, Moreno immediately joined the helicopter team at Angel City Air — the same year she received her degree. That’s an unusually fast transition from student to aerial journalist, and it reflects how prepared she was when she left school. Before settling permanently into NewsChopper 4, she also reported for KCAL 9 and KCBS 2, two other major Los Angeles-area news outlets, building her aerial reporting skills across multiple stations.
Her signature work was in the cockpit of NewsChopper 4 for NBC Los Angeles and Telemundo 52, where she reported on breaking news — brushfires, car pursuits, earthquake damage, flooding, major road accidents — from above the city in real time. The dual-language reporting was her clearest professional distinction. She would narrate the same scenes to two separate language audiences, sometimes switching mid-broadcast, without missing a beat. Telemundo’s statement after her death called this “impressive” professionalism and said the network considered her the finest aerial reporter in all of Los Angeles.
She had been flying regularly with pilot George Marciniw since 2023. Marciniw is reported to have had more than 30 years of flight experience. The two were described by NBC4 as a closely bonded team who loved breaking news and the work of being in the air together.
Age
Eliana Moreno was 38 years old at the time of her death on September 15, 2026. Her exact birthdate has not been confirmed in any major source, but her age is consistently reported as 38 across NBC News, Chapman University, and multiple other news outlets.
Religion
Eliana Moreno’s religion has not been confirmed in any public source. This information is unconfirmed and was not part of her public persona.
Fiancé and Personal Life
Moreno was engaged to Robert Barrientos, described in multiple reports as a former ABC Radio anchor and a native of Lakewood, California. She announced their engagement on her social media on October 28, 2025 — less than a year before her death — with family and friends celebrating alongside the couple in the post. She had not yet married him at the time of the crash.
Outside the newsroom, Moreno was open about living with asthma, which made her 2026 running goal especially personal. At the start of the year, she set a resolution to run just one mile by December — a target she described as a real challenge given her condition. By May, she had completed the Orange County Half Marathon in under two hours, running alongside Barrientos. After finishing, she wrote on Instagram: “I surpassed everything I thought I could ever do, so let’s see what I do next.” She and Barrientos also shared a visible love of dogs, with photos of the couple alongside their three dogs appearing on her social media.
Net Worth
Eliana Moreno’s net worth was never publicly disclosed and is not available in any credible source. She worked as a salaried journalist for a major television station for 16 years, but specific financial figures are unconfirmed. This article will not speculate on a number.
Parents
Moreno’s parents’ names have not been publicly released. Her family has requested privacy following her death, and as of September 17, 2026, no major credible outlet has named her parents. This information is currently unconfirmed.
Height
No official height measurement for Eliana Moreno has been published. NBC4 anchor Lynette Romero described her as “teeny tiny” in a tribute on NBC’s Today show, but no specific figure in feet or centimeters has been confirmed by any source.
Education
Moreno graduated from Chapman University in Orange, California in 2010. She double-majored, though two degrees are cited slightly differently across sources: some list Broadcast Journalism and Political Science, while Chapman University’s own statement references Television Broadcast Journalism and Social Science. Both degrees fall under the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts and the Wilkinson College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Chapman University confirmed her as a 2010 graduate in their official statement released on September 16, 2026.
Hometown and State of Origin
Tustin, Orange County, California. She was born and raised there and maintained a home in Tustin even while working in Los Angeles media. She is a lifelong Southern Californian.
Official Social Media
Moreno was active on Instagram under the handle @eliintheheli. Her account featured a mix of aerial footage from NewsChopper 4, personal milestones like the half marathon, and photos with Barrientos and their dogs. She described her job in one post as “the best job in the world.”
Reader Questions (FAQ)
What happened to Eliana Moreno?
Eliana Moreno died on the evening of September 15, 2026, when NewsChopper 4 — the helicopter she was aboard — crashed in the Chatsworth neighborhood of Los Angeles. She and pilot George Marciniw were covering a separate road accident involving a Metro bus when the helicopter went down between two commercial warehouses, catching fire on impact. A pedestrian on the ground also died in the crash. Three people total were killed.
How old was Eliana Moreno when she died?
Eliana Moreno was 38 years old at the time of her death. Her exact birthdate has not been confirmed in any major public source, but her age of 38 has been consistently reported by NBC News, Chapman University, and multiple news outlets covering the crash.
Who was Eliana Moreno’s fiancé?
Her fiancé was Robert Barrientos, described by multiple reports as a former ABC Radio anchor from Lakewood, California. Moreno announced their engagement on social media on October 28, 2025, less than a year before the crash. The two had also trained together for and completed the Orange County Half Marathon in May 2026.
What was Eliana Moreno’s Instagram name?
She used the handle @eliintheheli on Instagram — a reference to her job as a helicopter reporter. She frequently posted footage from NewsChopper 4, running updates, and personal photos on the account. It was a well-known handle among Southern California news viewers.
Where did Eliana Moreno go to college?
She graduated from Chapman University in Orange, California in 2010 with a double major — Broadcast Journalism and either Political Science or Social Science (sources differ slightly on the exact second major). Chapman University confirmed her as a member of the class of 2010 in their official tribute statement on September 16, 2026.
Was Eliana Moreno bilingual?
Yes. Moreno reported in both English and Spanish, serving audiences of NBC4 Los Angeles and its Spanish-language sister station Telemundo 52 from the same helicopter. Colleagues described her ability to switch fluently between the two languages mid-broadcast as a rare and impressive skill. Telemundo called her “without a doubt” the best airborne reporter in Los Angeles after her death.
Who else died in the Chatsworth helicopter crash?
Three people died in total. Alongside Moreno, pilot George Marciniw — who is reported to have had more than 30 years of flight experience — also died in the crash. A pedestrian on the ground, identified by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office as 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia, a visitor from Guatemala, was also killed when the helicopter came down in the parking lot between the two warehouses.
Has the cause of the Chatsworth helicopter crash been determined?
As of September 17, 2026, no official cause has been determined. The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed it is actively gathering information and conducting an investigation. NTSB investigations of this type typically take many months before a final probable cause is published. No preliminary cause had been released at the time this article was published.
Wrap-Up
Eliana Moreno had been doing her job for 16 years by the time she died doing it. She started flying over Los Angeles the same year she walked out of Chapman University, and she never stopped. In that time, she built something rare — a bilingual aerial career that made her a familiar presence to two entirely different audiences watching the same city from the same newsroom. People who watched NBC4 knew her voice. People who watched Telemundo 52 knew her voice in a different language. That kind of reach doesn’t happen by accident.
Perspective: The year 2026 had, for Moreno, been one of personal milestones. She got engaged in late 2025. She ran her first half marathon in May despite living with asthma. She was, by every account, in the middle of building a life — not winding one down. The gap between that and what happened on the evening of September 15 is what made the news of her death hit so hard, both inside her newsroom and among viewers who felt like they knew her.
The NTSB investigation into what caused the crash will take time. Questions about what went wrong in the air above Chatsworth that evening remain unanswered for now. What isn’t unanswered is what Eliana Moreno was — a skilled journalist who loved her work, who could hold two audiences at once, and who described her job as “the best job in the world.” The three people killed in that parking lot deserved to go home that night. They didn’t, and that’s the story that remains long after the cameras from other stations have moved on.
Thomas Andrew is the founder of Odubio.com, a digital platform sharing inspiring biographies, news, and stories about global icons and achievers.