Emotional vigil held for NBC reporter and others killed in helicopter and LA Metro bus crash

Grieving family members and friends gathered at St. John Eudes Catholic Parish in Chatsworth on Thursday for an emotional candlelit vigil for the five victims of Tuesday’s bus and helicopter crashes.

Community members honored each victim of the tragedy, which included three killed when an NBC helicopter fell out of the sky and two dead when an SUV slammed into a Los Angeles Metro bus.

Victims spotlighted included reporter Eliana Moreno, 38; pilot George Marciniw; pedestrian Edy Gutierrez Mejia, 29; Daniel Castillo, 46; and Gage Weida, 31.

Moreno and Marciniw had flown to the scene of the bus crash that killed Weida and Castillo when their helicopter appeared to suffer an engine failure in the “dead man’s curve,” experts have speculated.

The News Chopper4 aircraft then plummeted to the ground and crashed. A fire ignited and needed to be put out by first responders.

Thursday’s event was marked with photographs of victims, flowers, and candles held by grieving participants. Public officials, including Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles City Councilmember John Lee, spoke at the event.

“There is such profound grief that comes with unexpectedly losing someone you love,” Bass said. “I want to take a moment and recognize the important role of journalists and first responders who are on the front lines of traumatic incidents like this all the time.”

Lee, whose district includes Chatsworth, said the victims were “deeply loved.”

“Tonight we remember them not simply as victims, but as people deeply loved, who had family members, friends, colleagues and neighbors,” Lee said.

Autumn Raiff, Weida’s long-term partner, showed up to the vigil. She said Weida was on his way to work when an SUV, driven by 36-year-old Bailee Lynn Rios, smashed into the bus.

“He was one in a million,” Raiff told NBC LA. “He deserved so much better. We were planning so much for our lives.”

Castillo’s family described him as a joyful father who sired four children.

“He was just amazing. His family was everything to him,” Francis Sandoval, Castillo’s cousin, told the outlet. “His laugh was contagious; he always had us laughing. Any time Danny was around, it was a blast.”

The NTSB is still investigating the helicopter crash and expects a preliminary report in 30 days.

A memorial to the victims will remain in place through the weekend.

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