While loved ones, viewers and colleagues mourn the deaths of NBCLA and Telemundo 52 aerial reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw, Orange County is remembering Moreno for her local ties to the area.
A native of Tustin, Moreno was proud to call Orange County her home. After graduating from Foothill High School, she went on to earn a degree in broadcast journalism and political science from Chapman University. Her former peers and professors said she was a standout student who had a clear vision of where she wanted to take her career.
“She knew from the start,” said David Goedhart, a Chapman University TV studio engineer. “I remember checking in with her. She told me she had a helicopter pilot license. She told me the story.”
Moreno’s journalism journey began at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, where she graduated in 2010.
“The quality of her work, her attitude, never had a bad day — and had a plan,” Pete Weitzner, an adjunct professor at Chapman University, said. “If you read her bio since she was 11, she executed it. She stayed in town – the hometown girl!”
The Orange County native had five brothers and sisters. She was passionate about her family, her job, her pets and the community.
Aviation enthusiasts and community members gathered at Whiteman Airport to pay tribute to aerial reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw. Kathy Vara reports for the NBC4 News at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026.
Before Moreno reported in the sky, she spent seven years reporting from the ground with Irvine’s community television station.
“She was such a bright light,” Tom Macduff, Communications Manager for the city of Irvine, said. “She came into work every day and wanted to make the best of her time there and her relationship with people.”
Moreno joined Angel City Air, which operates NewsChopper4, in 2010. She delivered aerial reports in both Spanish and English for NBCLA and Telemundo 52.