The family of beloved Los Angeles aerial journalist Eliana Moreno has broken its silence following the helicopter crash that claimed her life, sharing an emotional tribute to the woman they said had dreamed of becoming a reporter since she was just 11 years old.
Moreno died on September 15, 2026, when the news helicopter she was working aboard crashed in Chatsworth, Los Angeles. Veteran pilot George Marciniw was also killed, along with 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia, who was on the ground. (Reuters)
Now, as tributes continue to pour in, Moreno’s family has shared both its grief and its gratitude — while her brother, Johan Moreno, has issued an important warning to people who want to help.
‘The Worst Day of Our Lives’
Johan’s first public message was devastatingly simple.
Alongside a photograph of his sister working aboard NewsChopper4, he wrote that he would love her “to the end of time” and described what his family had endured as “the worst day of our lives.”
He also thanked the countless people who had reached out with messages of love and support. (NBC Los Angeles)
The words offered a glimpse of the private grief behind a tragedy that had unfolded so publicly.
Moreno had spent years reporting breaking news from above Los Angeles. On September 15, she and Marciniw were doing exactly that when their helicopter went down while they were covering a deadly collision involving an SUV and a Metro bus. (AP News)
She Had Wanted to Be a Reporter Since She Was 11
Two days after the crash, Moreno’s family released a longer statement through NBC Los Angeles.
It revealed just how early journalism had become part of her life.
“Since she was 11 years old, Eliana dreamed of becoming a news reporter,” the family said. (NBC Los Angeles)
It wasn’t simply a childhood idea that disappeared with time.
According to her family, Moreno pursued that dream through years of determination until she turned it into her career.
They also acknowledged the viewers who had welcomed her into their homes and followed her reporting, explaining that their support had meant more to Moreno than many of them probably realized. (NBC Los Angeles)
Her Family Finds Comfort in One Detail
There was one particularly emotional passage in the family’s statement.
Moreno died while doing the work she had wanted to do since childhood.
Her loved ones said they found comfort in knowing that she spent her final hours pursuing the passion that had been with her since she was a little girl. (NBC Los Angeles)
For viewers accustomed to seeing aerial footage of wildfires, police pursuits and breaking stories across Southern California, Moreno was one of the people behind those images.
She and Marciniw had become familiar members of the NBC4 and Telemundo 52 news operation, covering everything from major fires to victory parades and police pursuits from the air. (NBC Los Angeles)
‘We Are Infinitely Proud of Her’
The family’s statement wasn’t only about Moreno’s career.
It was about the person they had lost.
Her parents, siblings, fiancé, stepsons and even her beloved dogs were included in the message of gratitude to everyone who had reached out.
“We are infinitely proud of her,” the family said, adding that they felt blessed to have loved her and called her their own. (NBC Los Angeles)
Moreno came from a large family. NBC Los Angeles reported that she had five brothers and sisters, including two brothers who serve as deputies with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Her familiarity with law enforcement helped inform her work covering pursuits and other breaking-news events from the air. (NBC Los Angeles)
Her Family Also Remembered the Other Victims
Even amid their own grief, Moreno’s relatives made a point of acknowledging the other people whose lives were lost.
They asked the public to keep Marciniw, Gutierrez Mejia and those killed in the earlier bus collision in their thoughts and prayers. (NBC Los Angeles)
Marciniw was an exceptionally experienced pilot. Friends said he had accumulated roughly 14,000 flight hours during a career spanning more than three decades. (People.com)
Gutierrez Mejia, meanwhile, was only 29. He was on the ground when the helicopter crashed. (NBC Los Angeles)
The chain of events began with the deadly road collision Moreno and Marciniw had gone into the air to cover. The helicopter subsequently crashed in the Chatsworth area, setting vehicles and other objects on fire and leaving two additional people hospitalized. (AP News)
Then Her Brother Discovered Something Troubling Online
As the family began processing Moreno’s death, Johan noticed donation pages appearing online.
That prompted the very specific request now being shared with the public.
Moreno’s family and fiancé are not collecting monetary donations, Johan said.
He emphasized that online donation pages claiming to collect money for them are not endorsed by the family. (NBC Los Angeles)
It’s an important distinction for people who saw news of Moreno’s death and understandably wanted to help.
The family isn’t asking for money.
Instead, they have asked for continued support, thoughts and prayers for everyone affected by the tragedy. (NBC Los Angeles)
Memorials Began Appearing Across Los Angeles
While Moreno’s relatives grieved privately, the scale of her impact became visible publicly.
Flowers, cards and other tributes were left at several locations associated with Moreno and Marciniw, including the crash site, Whiteman Airport — NewsChopper4’s home base — and outside the NBC4 and Telemundo 52 studios in Universal City. (NBC Los Angeles)
They were reminders that Moreno’s audience extended far beyond the newsroom.
Viewers might not always have seen the person inside the helicopter, but they had watched the images she helped bring to their screens.
The Investigation Into the Crash Continues
Questions about what caused NewsChopper4 to go down remain under investigation.
Reuters reported that the cause had not been determined in the immediate aftermath of the crash. (Reuters)
Investigators are examining evidence from the helicopter’s final moments as they work to establish exactly what happened.
Until that process is complete, conclusions about the precise cause remain premature.
For Moreno’s family, however, the focus of their public message was not speculation about those final moments.
It was the life that came before them.
A Childhood Dream That Became Her Life
At 11 years old, Eliana Moreno knew what she wanted to become.
Years later, viewers across Los Angeles knew her through the profession she had dreamed about as a child.
That is the memory her family chose to emphasize as they addressed the public for the first time after her death.
Their message carried heartbreak, but also unmistakable pride.
They thanked the people who watched her work. They remembered the other lives lost. They asked people to keep the victims in their thoughts and prayers.
And they made one practical request especially clear: do not send money to online fundraisers claiming to represent Moreno’s family or fiancé, because the family says those pages are not endorsed by them. (NBC Los Angeles)
For those looking for another way to honor her, the family’s own words offer one: remember the reporter who spent years living the dream she had carried since she was 11 — and remember the others whose lives were lost alongside her.
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