Family of reporter killed in NBC helicopter crash remembers the girl who always wanted to report

CHATSWORTH, LOS ANGELES: The family of NBC4 journalist Eliana Moreno has spoken publicly on Thursday, September 17, days after she died in a helicopter crash in Chatsworth, recalling a childhood ambition that eventually became her career.

Moreno, who was killed Tuesday along with pilot George Marciniw while covering breaking news, had wanted to become a news reporter since she was 11.

Her relatives said she died doing the work she had pursued for much of her life.

Eliana Moreno's family pays emotional tribute

In a statement, Moreno’s family said her journalism career was built through years of “hard work and courage” and thanked the viewers who had followed her work.

They said Moreno had carried her interest in reporting from childhood and found comfort in knowing that she was doing what she loved when she died.

The statement was issued on behalf of her parents, five siblings, fiance, stepsons, and dogs.

Her family said they were “infinitely proud” of her and grateful for the support they have received since the crash.

They also asked people to remember Moreno, Marciniw, 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia and those who died in the separate bus collision that Moreno had been covering.

Moreno’s brother Johan Moreno, a deputy with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, also addressed her death on X.

“RIP sis, I will love you to the end of time,” he wrote, adding that his family had just experienced “the worst day of our lives.”

He thanked people for their condolences and support.

Moreno was one of six siblings, and two of her brothers work as deputies with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Eliana Moreno leaves a lasting legacy

Away from her work, Moreno had built a following through her Instagram account, where she went by 'Eli in the heli'.

The account gave viewers a look at her life outside news assignments, including posts involving her dogs and chickens. It also documented her relationship with fiance Robert Barrientos.

Moreno announced her engagement in 2025. Her family’s statement specifically mentioned her fiance, and stepsons while describing the people who were closest to her.

Her social-media presence had also become part of her professional identity, reflecting the aerial reporting work that made her familiar to viewers across Southern California.

Moreno and Marciniw were aboard the NBC4 helicopter Tuesday while covering a separate crash in Chatsworth.

The helicopter went down as the crew was covering the breaking-news scene. Moreno and Marciniw were killed, while Gutierrez Mejia died on the ground.

Moreno had worked as an aerial journalist for years, reporting from the helicopter on fires, police pursuits, traffic crashes and other breaking news across the Los Angeles area.

The authorities continue to investigate the crash, and the exact cause of it remains unknown so far.