Heartbreaking on-air moment reporter sees helicopter crash on LA street - without knowing his own crew were inside

A heartbreaking video shows the moment an NBC journalist reporting from a Los Angeles street witnessed a deadly helicopter crash without knowing his own crew were inside.NBC 4 reporter Robert Kovacik was covering a bus crash in LA's Chatsworth neighborhood Tuesday night when the helicopter went down in a parking lot.Kovacik, unaware that his colleagues Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw were inside, rushed to the crash site with his crew as the chopper was engulfed in flames.Dark clouds of smoke billowed in the sky as firefighters begged Kovacik to stay away from the area. 'Trust me I am putting my own life in my own hands,' he pleaded with first responders.But as police pushed back, his pleas became more desperate. 'Dude that's my crew in there, that is my own crew,' Kovacik said.The police officer responded: 'We are gonna get them evacuated this isn't safe.'NBC 4 reporter Robert Kovacik rushed to the scene when a helicopter carrying his colleagues went down in Los Angeles's Chatsworth neighborhood Tuesday night Kovacik had been reporting live from the scene of a bus crash when he witnessed the deadly helicopter crash without knowing his own crew were inside Eliana Moreno, 38, and pilot George Marciniw, 70, were identified as the two people on board the aircraft when it went down while covering a fatal bus collision Kovacik was on-air covering the bus crash when his colleagues in the NBC 4 studio interrupted his report, instructing him to move towards the billowing smoke. 'Robert, we need you to move,' an anchor said, interrupting his report. 'Robert, we're going to need you to move towards that smoke and get closer to that scene immediately.'We're still working to get information on exactly what happened but we're going to ask right now, as best you can, that you and your crew move in that direction immediately.' The broadcast cut back to the studio as Kovacik made his way to the scene. 'We understand there may be an aircraft down. We don't have any more specific information than that,' anchor Colleen Williams said.'Robert is driving in the direction. We did see a huge plume of black smoke in the area.'When Kovacik's crew resumed their feed, NBC4 viewers saw the reporter begging with law enforcement to let him on the scene. 'We know it's something bad judging from the smoke,' Williams said. Fox 11 reporter Ed Laskos put his arms around Kovacik at the scene and said, 'It's a chopper, a media chopper' Horrific scenes unfolded at the crash site at the intersection of Northoff Street and DeSoto Avenue in Chatsworth with flames rising from the wreck and thick black smoke billowing toward the skyKovacik turned back toward the camera to resume his report, telling his colleagues that the LAPD would soon be evacuating them from the area.Describing the scene, he shared how there was a 'fire that is spreading.'That's when he spotted Fox 11 reporter Ed Laskos and asked 'What are you hearing?'Laskos put his arms around Kovacik and said: 'It's a chopper, a media chopper.''It's a chopper?' Kovacik repeated back to him.'Yes, it's a media chopper,' Laskos said.'Are you ok? It's not you guys, is it?' Kovacik questioned, as a burst of flames exploded behind him.A female reporter ran past the cameras in tears.Kovacik turned back to the cameras and said: 'We don't know where the chopper is from, we don't know if it even is a chopper, if it's a news chopper, we are just looking right now.'He spoke to police and eyewitnesses at the scene who confirmed the helicopter went down, but could not confirm which news outlet it had been affiliated with.At this point, NBC 4 did not know that the helicopter belonged to their station. LA Mayor Karen Bass was seen consoling Kovacik later that night when she and other elected officials spoke about the tragedy. The impact sparked a massive blaze and killed the NBC staffers as well as one person on the ground The news helicopter was apparently reporting on a fatal Metro bus crash nearbyNBC 4 reporter Eliana 'Eli' Moreno, 38, and pilot George Marciniw, 70, were on board the helicopter when it crashed near the scene of a deadly bus collision in Los Angeles just before 7pm Tuesday.The NewsChopper4 was flying over the area between two warehouses at the intersection of Nordhoff Street and DeSoto Avenue, near where an SUV crashed into a bus earlier in the night, when it suddenly lost altitude and plunged to the ground. Two people were killed in the bus crash, while six others were left injured, some of whom were in critical condition.The chopper appeared to have crashed next to two shipping containers and several vehicles that were parked in the area, causing a massive blaze that threatened four vehicles nearby.Moreno was a veteran aerial reporter for NBC4 Los Angeles and Telemundo, who had been flying in news choppers since 2010 – covering police pursuits, wildfires, traffic and major local events. She began her career in the air after graduating from Chapman University in 2010, where she studied broadcast journalism and political science. Moreno had worked at KCAL 9 and KCBS 2 before joining NBC and flying aboard NewsChopper4 around 2018 or 2019.She was passionate about her role and frequently posted pictures of herself out in the field on her Instagram account Eli in the Heli, including one captioned: 'After working 76 hours since Sunday, I’m almost done! I can’t complain though because I have the best job in the world.' NBC reporter Eliana 'Eli' Moreno, 38, tragically died in a helicopter crash Tuesday night Moreno and her longtime boyfriend, Robert Barrientos, 47, announced their engagement on Facebook in October last yearShe was due to soon marry her boyfriend Robert Barrientos, 47, after the pair announced their engagement on Facebook last October.Moreno and Barrientos have been together for at least three years, according to posts on her public Instagram account.Although the reporter never publicly announced the start of their relationship, she did start subtly tagging father of two Barrientos in reels with her dogs in 2023.She made a post in May praising him for running a half-marathon with her. Moreno, who has had 'bad asthma' throughout her life, completed the race in under two hours, she revealed. 'I did something I never thought I would ever do,' she captioned a photo of her and her partner with their race medals. 'I surpassed everything I thought I could ever do so let's see what I do next!'Marciniw was an experienced pilot who had logged more than 14,000 hours in the helicopter. NBC4 and Telemundo said in a statement on Tuesday night: 'We are deeply saddened to share that a helicopter providing aerial news coverage for NBC4 and Telemundo 52 was involved in a fatal accident in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening. 'We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives.' Although Moreno rarely publicized her romantic life online, she did make a post in May praising Barrientos for running the Hoag OC half-marathon with herThe confirmation of the NBC staffers' deaths came after a longtime NBC 4 Los Angeles news anchor had confirmed to viewers the chopper was a 'television news helicopter,' noting. 'We are not in contact with our television news helicopter,' Colleen Williams said through tears, while other reporters on the scene choked up.'We have lost contact with our people.' Williams also confirmed that the news helicopter was from NBC Los Angeles, before the news station took a break to process the information. LA Fire Department Captain Branden Silverman earlier told reporters on the scene that the helicopter is 'pretty well destroyed.' A friend of the two helicopter victims also told Fox Los Angeles he is 'hurt,' as he suggested the helicopter suffered from engine failure.'I'm lost for words, I don't know what to say,' he said, describing the pilot as experienced and noting that the NBC reporter had recently been married.'It's heartbreaking to see the engine quit,' the friend said. The news helicopter was apparently reporting on a fatal Metro bus crash nearbyThe impact sparked a massive blaze and killed the NBC staffers as well as one person on the ground The NBC Los Angeles helicopter crashed after covering a fatal bus crash on TuesdayThe crash came as local media outlets rushed to get aerial footage of the fatal bus collision as people ran away from the scene and police cruisers sped toward the fiery explosion.It appeared the bus was crossing the intersection at around 5pm when the SUV T-boned it, sending both vehicles onto the curb, ABC 7 reported.Authorities are now looking into the possibility that one of the vehicles ran a red light.Two people were killed at the scene, while others were rushed to local hospitals.One of those killed was reportedly ejected from the bus, while the other was said to have been onboard the city bus. An LA Urban Search and Rescue Team was also seen extricating multiple people from the bus, with at least one person found stuck underneath the vehicle, KTLA reported.She was eventually freed and quickly loaded into an ambulance in unknown condition with what crews on the scene described as 'crushing' injuries.Soon after the bus crash, images emerged showing the front half of the Ford SUV embedded in the side of the Metro bus. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass attended the scene where she delivered an update, saying her heart was with all those who lost loved ones Bass was seen embracing NBC 4 reporter Robert Kovacik following the fatal crashWhen the vehicle was then removed, a gaping hole was visible in the bus' side, according to the Los Angeles Times.At the height of the response, there were more than 70 Fire Department personnel on scene, a spokesperson said at a news conference.The intersection where the two fatal crashes occurred will now be closed for 'quite some time,' she noted. In a brief statement, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she is 'absolutely devastated by the loss of life in Chatsworth tonight.''My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we lost in the tragic bus collision and helicopter crash,' she posted on social media. 'I'm grateful to the city teams who responded so quickly,' she added, as she urged the public to 'please stay clear of the are as public safety officials remain on scene.' California Governor Gavin Newsom also shared his condolences.'Our hearts are with the victims and families of tonight's devastating Metro bus and helicopter crashes in Chatsworth, and with the entire NBC4 family,' he said in a statement. A Los Angeles firefighter is pictured responding to the scene of the helicopter crash The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the helicopter crash.'Thank you to the first responders working tirelessly tonight.' Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, added that it was 'very sad news.' Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the helicopter crash.