Veteran NBC4 Reporter Robert Kovacik Breaks Down After Colleagues Die in Chatsworth Helicopter Crash

Veteran NBC4 Los Angeles reporter and anchor Robert Kovacik was visibly overcome with emotion after learning that two of his colleagues had been killed in a helicopter crash in Chatsworth.

Kovacik had been at the scene covering an earlier deadly bus collision when a news helicopter crashed nearby. At first, he did not know which station the aircraft belonged to. As reporters and emergency crews rushed toward the crash site, Kovacik helped cover the unfolding tragedy from the ground.

The devastating truth soon became clear: the helicopter was NewsChopper4, the aircraft used by NBC4 and Telemundo 52 for aerial news coverage. On board were NBC4 and Telemundo 52 journalist Eliana “Eli” Moreno and pilot George Marciniw. Both were killed in the crash, along with a third person on the ground, later identified by the coroner as 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia.

For Kovacik, the tragedy was deeply personal. Footage from the scene showed the veteran journalist struggling to hold back tears as he processed the loss of his friends and colleagues. He was later seen sitting in the front of a police vehicle with tears in his eyes.

During NBC4’s coverage, Kovacik described how difficult it was to suddenly find himself on the other side of the police tape—the side where a journalist normally never wants to be. His emotional reaction reflected the shock felt throughout the NBC4 newsroom as colleagues learned that their own news crew had been lost while doing their jobs.

Moreno was a longtime aerial journalist who had been part of the Angel City Air helicopter team since 2010. She and Marciniw had worked together in the air since 2023, covering breaking news across Southern California. Colleagues remembered Moreno for her skill, professionalism and passion for aerial journalism.

The helicopter had been covering the earlier bus crash when it went down shortly before 7 p.m. Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft sway before gradually losing altitude and crashing into a storage business parking lot, where a fire broke out. The NTSB and FAA are investigating the crash, and authorities have not yet determined its cause.

The tragedy left the Los Angeles news community mourning the loss of two professionals who had spent years bringing breaking news to the p

Source: NY Post