Veteran NBC Anchor Breaks Down in Tears

NBC Los Angeles anchor Robert Kovacik broke down after learning that two colleagues had died in a news helicopter crash in Chatsworth. Kovacik, with NBC since 2004, was seen wiping away tears and sitting in a police vehicle near the wreckage after NewsChopper4 went down Tuesday evening.

Aerial journalist Eliana Moreno, 38, and pilot George Marciniw were killed while covering a deadly collision between a Metro bus and an SUV. A third person, Edy Gutierrez Mejia, 29, died on the ground.

Kovacik had worked with Moreno and Marciniw for years and was reporting from the scene as the facts became clear. Video showed him shaken as first responders and other journalists gathered.

He later went live and struggled through the report. “You think about it ladies, as we deal with this day of dueling tragedies here in Chatsworth, we were just getting ready to come on air for the NBC 4 news at 7:00 tonight and we were there,” he said.

He described colleagues from across Southern California standing with firefighters and police. “In Chatsworth, I’m Robert Kovacik,” he signed off, his eyes glassy. “Let’s go back to you.”

A veteran NBC anchor sat broken in a police car after learning his colleagues had just died in a tragic helicopter crash in Los Angeles’ Chatsworth neighborhood. 💔 https://t.co/pQC2PWquN3 pic.twitter.com/xOSVFdL5P5

— California Post (@californiapost) September 16, 2026

Even before officials confirmed the aircraft was NewsChopper4, he sounded unsettled. “I just saw a colleague of mine from ABC in tears and concern,” he said. “We don’t know where the chopper is from. We don’t know if it even is a chopper. We don’t know if it is a news chopper.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was later seen embracing him near the scene. Moreno was a familiar voice on NBC4 and Telemundo 52, covering wildfires, pursuits, and breaking news from the air. Marciniw was a veteran pilot and flight instructor. NBC said the two had flown “hundreds of hours” together.

The helicopter was covering the aftermath of the earlier crash when it went down shortly before 7 p.m. in a parking lot near a storage business. The NTSB is examining video and audio from the final moments.

NBC4 and Telemundo 52 said they were “deeply saddened” and extended condolences to the families. Five people died Tuesday night in Chatsworth between the bus collision and the helicopter crash.

The public images of the story are Kovacik in the police car and then on the air, trying to finish a live shot about colleagues who had just been killed.

The cause of the helicopter crash has not been announced. The human cost is already known.

New surveillance footage has emerged showing the helicopter’s final descent before it crashed in a Chatsworth parking lot. Investigators are reviewing the video closely as part of the NTSB probe.

Audio from the final moments may also provide clues. Investigators said recordings captured changes in engine speed and cockpit warning tones shortly before impact.

Aviation experts reviewing the footage said the helicopter may have suffered a sudden loss of power. One possibility being examined is whether the pilot attempted an emergency autorotation, though no official cause has been announced.

Eliana Moreno’s family has since released a statement remembering her lifelong dream of becoming a reporter. They also warned supporters that unauthorized fundraisers have appeared online.

More details have emerged about pilot George Marciniw, who reportedly had more than 14,000 flight hours and decades of experience. Friends described him as highly safety-conscious.

Separately, prosecutors charged the driver involved in the deadly Metro bus crash the helicopter had been covering. She now faces two murder counts along with DUI and reckless driving charges.