NBC reporter Eliana Moreno died in LA news helicopter crash less than a year after getting engaged

NBC reporter Eliana Moreno, who was killed Tuesday when the network’s helicopter crashed and burst into flames in the Los Angeles area, had been engaged for the past year, it has emerged.The veteran aerial reporter, 38, proudly announced her engagement to Robert Barrientos through a social media post on Oct.28, 2025, as loved ones celebrated the couple.

Moreno, who worked for NBC4 Los Angeles and Telemundo 52, and the pilot, George Marciniw, were killed when their News4chopper crashed while covering a deadly Metro bus collision in Chatsworth on Tuesday — a pedestrian on the ground also died.The deaths were confirmed by Telemundo, sparking a flurry of tributes.“Tonight, we are in mourning.We are heartbroken.

We have lost two great colleagues,” Telemundo said in a statement online.“Eliana Moreno was a wonderful human being.Her professionalism was impressive.

Everyone who worked with her knew she was—without a doubt—the best airborne reporter in all of Los Angeles.”The network hailed how Moreno was “on top of everything” and described her as a “source of comfort.”Moreno, who aspired to be a television news reporter since the age of 11, had worked for Angel City Air Inc — the company operating the News4chopper — since September 2010.Moreno, who went by “Eli in the Heli” on Instagram, graduated from Chapman University in 2010 with degrees in broadcast journalism and political science.She later worked for KCAL 9 and KCBS 2 before joining NBC and flying aboard NewsChopper4 around 2018 or 2019 – predominantly covering police pursuits, brush fires, and traffic events from the air.The Tustin native’s aerial coverage of a deadly crash in Windsor Hills saw her scoop a Radio Television Digital News Association award in 2022.She shared a heartwarming picture of herself showing off her award alongside her pal, Robert Rodriguez, who was the pilot of the helicopter she presented from.Moreno gushed online that being an aerial journalist was “...