Third Victim of News Chopper Tragedy Named — Officials Probe Live Crash Footage to Determine What Went Wrong
Guatemalan tourist Edy Gutierrez Mejia has been identified as the third victim of the news chopper crash in Los Angeles.
Sept. 17 2026, Published 12:20 p.m. ET
The third victim of the NBC News helicopter crash, which claimed the lives of a reporter and pilot, has been identified, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Edy Gutierrez Mejia, better known as Pichi, was on the ground when the News Chopper 4 went down in a parking lot in Chatsworth just before 7 pm on Tuesday, September 15.
'What A Wonderful Person He Was'
Edy Gutierrez Mejia's family paid tribute to the late soccer player.
The 29-year-old tourist from Guatemala had been planning to pick up a car and take it back to his hometown of Cuilapa to sell at the time of the crash, his cousin told NBC News.
His family is now working to send his remains back to Guatemala.
"This terrible and unforeseen tragedy has left an unfillable void and unimaginable grief in our entire family," Karla Padilla further shared in an online fundraiser to help the family with Mejia's funeral expenses.
"Those who knew Edy know what a wonderful person he was, always full of life, kindness and love for his loved ones."
Edy Gutierrez Mejia Was in Los Angeles For Just Two Days
Mejia was due to return to Guatemala after his short stint in Los Angeles.
The Cuilapa mayor's office mourned his loss in a statement on social media, saying: "We offer our prayers for eternal rest and ask our Lord God to grant the family patience during these moments of sorrow."
Mejia was only intending to be in Los Angeles for two days, according to reports.
NBC 4 Los Angeles reporter Eliana 'Eli' Moreno was covering a fatal bus collision when the helicopter crashed, also killing pilot George Marciniw, 70.
Moreno, a veteran aerial reporter for NBC4 Los Angeles and Telemundo, had been flying in news choppers since 2010, covering police pursuits, wildfires, traffic, and major local events.
She had worked at KCAL 9 and KCBS 2 before joining NBC and flying aboard NewsChopper4 around 2018 or 2019.
Beloved Duo Perish in Crash
Reporter Eliana 'Eli' Moreno and pilot George Marciniw lost their lives in crash.
Marciniw was an experienced pilot who had logged more than 14,000 helicopter hours.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will now analyze video from aboard the NBC 4 chopper to piece together what may have caused the Eurocopter AS350B2 to go down, Investigator in Charge Fabian Salazar said at a Wednesday afternoon news conference.
"The video that was actually taken while the reporter was doing live coverage; that video is probably the most important evidence that we have discovered so far," he declared, adding that the agency will work toward obtaining a "pristine copy" of the recording and send it to the agency's lab for a sound spectrum analysis.
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The crash happened while Moreno was reporting on fatel bus collision.
"In that recording, we are clearly hearing sounds that are consistent with the engine changing its speed, and we're also hearing tones that are being generated that are likely advisories to the pilot, so it's important that we get that recording to our lab so that they can be downloaded and we can get to that factual evidence that way."
Aviation experts told the Los Angeles Times the crash may have resulted from mechanical failure in the 22-year-old aircraft, a common helicopter for news and law enforcement agencies.
Zoey Tur, a veteran news helicopter pilot who operated the same type of chopper as the one involved in the crash, said the sound the microphone picked up was of an engine shutting down.
