Five dead in Los Angeles after wrong-way bus crash and news helicopter disaster

Fatal collision on De Soto Avenue

Emergency crews in Los Angeles responded Tuesday afternoon to a collision in the San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Chatsworth. A 2004 Ford Expedition driven by 36-year-old Bailee Lynn Rios traveled south in the northbound lanes of De Soto Avenue before running a red light near Nordhoff Street. The vehicle narrowly missed an oncoming car before slamming into an eastbound Metro Line 166 bus, embedding itself into the passenger cabin. The impact ejected at least one passenger from the bus and partially ejected another. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner identified the two bus passengers killed in the collision as 46-year-old Daniel Castillo and 31-year-old Gage Weida. Six other individuals, including Rios, were transported to medical facilities with severe crushing and trauma injuries.

Aviation disaster in Chatsworth

Approximately two hours after the road accident, a television news helicopter covering the crash scene went down nearby. The aircraft, known as NewsChopper4 and operated by Angel City Air for NBC4 and Telemundo 52, crashed at 9151 Mason Avenue between two commercial buildings at roughly 6:57 p.m. Onboard camera footage and ground witnesses captured the helicopter swaying and descending rapidly as cockpit warning alarms sounded. The crash killed reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw on impact, along with 29-year-old pedestrian Edy Gutierrez Mejia, who was in the parking lot below. The impact ignited fires across four parked vehicles and two storage containers, prompting a deployment of more than 70 firefighters from the Los Angeles Fire Department.

“We did have a loss of lives of three members of the community, and two members transported to the hospital.”

On-air confirmation and community response

The newsroom learned of the crash while broadcasting coverage of the earlier bus accident. Anchor Colleen Williams verified the loss of the station's crew during a live evening broadcast after transmission signals abruptly severed.

“We knew that we had lost contact with our team at the scene and we just received confirmation that, indeed, NewsChopper 4 crashed shortly before 7 in the evening today in Chatsworth.”

Moreno, who graduated from Chapman University in 2010, had worked as an aerial photojournalist covering police pursuits and breaking events across Southern California. Marciniw, a veteran aviator who graduated from Burbank High School in 1974, had partnered with Moreno for hundreds of flight hours since 2023. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass extended condolences during a Wednesday press conference following the twin tragedies.

“This is a heartbreaking night for our city, and my thoughts and prayers are first and foremost with the families and loved ones that we lost today.”

Murder charges and federal inquiry

The Los Angeles Police Department arrested Rios in connection with the initial vehicle collision. Authorities booked the 36-year-old suspect on murder charges, with bail set at $4 million, as prosecutors evaluated potential counts of reckless driving, red-light violations, and driving under the influence. Two injured victims from the ground at the aviation site also remained hospitalized under medical observation. Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration launched parallel investigations to determine the mechanical and operational causes of the helicopter crash.

Bus collision fatalities2

Bus collision injuries6

Helicopter crash fatalities3

Helicopter crash injuries2

Bus collision fatalities

2 people

Bus collision injuries

6 people

Helicopter crash fatalities

3 people

Helicopter crash injuries

2 people

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