A chilling dashcam video from a Los Angeles driver has revealed the final terrifying moments of an NBC and Telemundo news helicopter as it plummeted towards the ground, ultimately resulting in a fiery crash that claimed the lives of three individuals. The footage, recorded by driver Year Valencia, shows the aircraft rapidly descending from the sky while its crew was en route to cover a separate, fatal collision involving an SUV and a city bus. Valencia described the harrowing sight, noting how a “little dot” on the crisp video “just goes down,” expressing profound shock and fear, lamenting how close the disaster was to her own family’s daily routines. The helicopter, a Eurocopter AS350 operated by Angel City Air, crashed in the Chatsworth neighborhood, killing NBC4 and Telemundo 52 reporter Eliana Moreno, pilot George Marciniw, and Edy Gutierrez Mejia, who was on the ground at the time. The aircraft impacted near a storage facility, igniting a blaze that spread to several vehicles and storage containers. This catastrophic event occurred approximately two hours after a separate collision where an SUV, reportedly traveling the wrong way and running a red light, struck a city bus, causing two fatalities and six injuries. The driver of the SUV, Bailee Lynn Rios, was arrested on murder charges. Investigators are now meticulously examining the helicopter’s final video, which captured an alarm sounding and a rapid loss of altitude, as a critical piece of evidence to determine the cause of the crash. The sounds recorded are believed to be consistent with engine speed changes and cockpit advisories, offering a grim auditory clue to the unfolding tragedy.
Adapted from: U.S. News Today on Fox News
