HE ARRIVED IN LOS ANGELES JUST HOURS BEFORE THE CRASH — TOURIST, 29, IDENTIFIED AS THIRD VICTIM OF DEADLY NEWS HELICOPTER ACCIDENT

A 29-year-old Guatemalan man who had arrived in Los Angeles just hours before a news helicopter crashed has been identified as the third person killed in the tragedy.

Edy Fernando Gutierrez Mejia, from Cuilapa, Guatemala, was visiting Los Angeles for a short business trip when the helicopter went down in the Chatsworth area on September 15, 2026.

He had reportedly traveled to California to purchase vehicles that he planned to take back to Guatemala as part of his business.

Instead, his trip ended in tragedy.

HE HAD ONLY JUST ARRIVED IN LOS ANGELES

According to family members, Gutierrez Mejia had arrived in Los Angeles earlier on the same day as the crash.

His cousin told NBC Los Angeles’ sister station Telemundo 52 that he had been in the city for business, with plans to purchase a vehicle and return it to Guatemala.

Univision reported that he had arrived from Cuilapa and was working on business involving vehicles, clothing and spare parts.

Family members described him as a hardworking and cheerful man who enjoyed making people laugh and taking part in community events back home.

One relative remembered him as someone who was “full of life” and had many plans for the future.

His sudden death was especially difficult for his relatives because they had seen him only hours earlier.

THE HELICOPTER WAS COVERING ANOTHER DEADLY CRASH

The tragedy unfolded while a KNBC NewsChopper 4 helicopter was providing aerial coverage of a separate fatal traffic collision in Chatsworth.

The helicopter was carrying reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw.

The pair were covering a crash involving a Metro bus and an SUV when their helicopter went down near Mason Avenue and Nordhoff Street.

Moreno and Marciniw were killed.

Gutierrez Mejia was on the ground when the helicopter crashed and was also killed.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner subsequently identified him as the third victim.

The helicopter was a Eurocopter AS350 B2.

The Federal Aviation Administration said two people were aboard the aircraft.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the crash.

HIS FAMILY WAS DEVASTATED

News of Gutierrez Mejia’s death stunned relatives in Guatemala.

One family member told Univision that relatives had seen him earlier that day and were struggling to understand how he could have been gone only hours later.

“He was very hardworking,” relatives said, while others remembered his sense of humor and his habit of making people laugh.

Family members also said he enjoyed helping with community activities in Cuilapa, including local fairs and events.

His death has left relatives facing the painful task of bringing his remains back to Guatemala.

Two other Guatemalan nationals who were with Gutierrez Mejia were reportedly injured in the incident and taken for medical treatment, according to Univision.

THE OTHER TWO VICTIMS

Gutierrez Mejia was not the only person killed in the helicopter crash.

Eliana Moreno, a KNBC reporter, was also killed.

Moreno was known to viewers across Southern California for her aerial reporting and was remembered by colleagues as a passionate journalist.

She had worked with pilot George Marciniw, who was also killed, since 2023.

Marciniw was a highly experienced pilot with more than 14,000 hours of flight experience, according to PEOPLE’s reporting.

The crash has deeply affected the Southern California news community, where Moreno and Marciniw had become familiar faces and voices during breaking-news coverage.

INVESTIGATORS ARE SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS

The cause of the helicopter crash has not been determined.

NTSB investigators have been examining the wreckage, maintenance records, weather conditions, security footage, witness statements and other evidence.

A recording from the helicopter’s live broadcast has also emerged as an important part of the investigation.

In the recording, Moreno can be heard reacting to an apparent warning before asking the pilot, “You can’t pull up?”

The helicopter then descended and the transmission ended.

Aviation experts have discussed several possible explanations for sounds heard in the recording, including a possible reduction in rotor speed or a hydraulic problem.

However, investigators have not determined that either was the cause.

The NTSB has emphasized that the investigation is still in its early stages.

A BUSINESS TRIP THAT ENDED IN TRAGEDY

For Gutierrez Mejia’s family, the investigation is only one part of the story.

They are mourning a young man who had traveled thousands of miles for work and had expected to return home after completing his business.

Instead, he became an unexpected victim of a tragedy that he had nothing to do with.

He had arrived in Los Angeles that same day.

By that evening, he was gone.

His relatives now remember him not for the circumstances of his final moments, but for the person they knew — a hardworking, funny and community-minded man who had traveled to another country with plans for the future.

The crash killed three people in all: reporter Eliana Moreno, pilot George Marciniw and 29-year-old tourist Edy Gutierrez Mejia.

For investigators, the search for answers continues.

For Gutierrez Mejia’s family, the investigation cannot change the most painful fact: a trip that had only just begun ended before he ever had the chance to return home.