Former teacher remembers Eliana Moreno after fatal helicopter crash

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) — Around 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Chatsworth area of the San Fernando Valley, a news helicopter crashed, leaving three people dead.

NBC4 later confirmed the helicopter was from its station and that 38-year-old reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw died as a result of the crash.

Additionally, a person on the ground was killed in the crash. On Wednesday, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner identified 29-year-old victim Edy Gutierrez Mejia as the person killed on the ground.

Additionally, Moreno graduate of Chapman University in Orange in 2010 with bachelor's degrees in television and broadcast journalism and political science. Additionally, Moreno announced her engagement to her partner, Robert Barrientos, on her instagram on Oct. 28, 2025.

News Channel 3 is speaking with a former teacher of Moreno's at Chapman to learn more about her as a student, person and reporter. Coverage starts tonight at 4 p.m.