Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw's photos go viral as many mourn NBC Los Angeles helicopter crash deaths

Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw are among the three dead after the NBC Los Angeles helicopter crashed on September 15. A third person on ground was also killed but the individual is yet to be identified. Another person was hurt and taken to a hospital but their condition remains unknown.

Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw were identified as two of the three people who died in the NBC Los Angeles helicopter crash. (X/@Sofarrjo)NBC Los Angeles confirmed the news about Moreno and Marciniw on air. The helicopter they were in, was covering the crash in Chatsworth where an SUV ploughed into the side of a Metro bus, killing two.

Footage from moments before the chopper crash surfaced and Moreno could be heard asking Marciniw whether he could pull the helicopter up, even as the camera began to shake at the moment of impact. A cause for the helicopter crash is not known and the FAA and NTSB have taken over the investigation.

Amid this photos of Moreno and Marciniw were shared widely online, with many offering tributes.

One person shared a selfie taken by Moreno with Marciniw next to her. “Rest in peace Eliana Moreno & George Marciniw,” the person wrote followed with a heart emoticon.

Both the reporter and helicopter pilot were seen wearing jackets in what appeared to be a cloudy day.

Another photo showed them on a sunny day, standing in front of the NBC LA chopper. “Extremely sad night in L.A.,” a page noted, putting a broken heart emoticon.

The photo showed Marciniw in a blue long-sleeved tee shirt and light brown shorts, while Moreno wore a bright tank top dark blue jeans.

Meanwhile, tributes poured in for both. “This is who Eliana was… she was the sweetest human… I’m heartbroken tonight RIP Eliana Moreno,” ABC 7's helicopter reporter wrote. A reporter for The California Post added “R.I.P. to my former colleague @NBCLA @elianamoreno . She was the best at her job and she loved it. Tragedy after tragedy today.”

Moreno was an aerial photographer and reporter. After graduating from Chapman University Moreno worked for NBC LA and TELEMUNDO 52 in Newschopper 4. She was based out of Orange County in Los Angeles.

Marciniw was a helicopter flight instructor for over 30 years and he had accumulated about 14,000 flight hours. The late chopper pilot's profile listed his base as Whiteman Airport in Southern California and identified him with Pacific Rotorways Helicopter Training. Apart from flying NBC Los Angeles, Marciniw also instructed new and experienced pilots.

Shuvrajit has over seven years of experience covering US, India, and world news. An English Literature postgraduate from Jadavpur University, Shuvrajit started off covering entertainment, gaming and all things pop culture. There were brief periods away from the media industry, with short stints in content marketing, ed-tech and academic editing. However, the newsroom beckoned and over the last few jobs, Shuvrajit has exceedingly focused on team functioning as well, including tracking news and assigning tasks, working on everyday breaking news, framing detailed coverage plans, and creating immersive and data-driven stories. In his time as a digital journalist, he has covered a Lok Sabha election, multiple state elections, Union Budgets and award ceremonies. He has also helped in planning content for company event panels in the past. For work, Shuvrajit enjoys dabbling with data visualization, editing tools, and AI chatbots and attempts to incorporate AI workflows in everyday tasks. He is deeply interested in geopolitics, sports, films and music. Prompting is a new fascination for Shuvrajit now. Apart from that, he can be found doom-scrolling, sharing memes, or cheering on his favorite football team.Read More