Rams Remember NBC Reporter Eliana Moreno and Pilot George Marciniw With Press Box Tribute at SoFi Stadium

The Los Angeles Rams closed out Week 2 of the NFL schedule Monday night against the New York Giants at SoFi Stadium, but before kickoff the team honored two figures from the local media community who died in last week’s helicopter crash.

Inside the stadium’s press box, the franchise arranged a memorial for NBC reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw, complete with framed photographs of the pair, white flowers, and a place card bearing both names. The card carried the message: “Forever part of the Los Angeles media family.”

What happened

Moreno and Marciniw were on assignment covering a fatal bus crash when their helicopter, NewsChopper 4, suffered mechanical trouble. The aircraft went down and caught fire on the ground, and the crash also killed a pedestrian, 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia.

Moreno, known to her social media followers as “Eli in the Heli,” was a devoted Rams fan and had become engaged less than a year before the accident. Her family issued a statement recalling that she had dreamed of working in news since childhood.

“Since she was 11 years old, Eliana dreamed of becoming a news reporter,” the family wrote, adding that they find comfort in knowing she died doing work she had been passionate about her entire life. “We are infinitely proud of her.”

Marciniw was a veteran aviator who had flown for more than three decades and logged roughly 14,000 hours in the air. He was approaching retirement at the time of the crash.

Media ties

The tribute also lands in the backyard of the parent company behind the NBC station that employed Moreno. Comcast (CMCSA), which trades at $22.93, up 0.61% from the previous close of $22.79, owns NBCUniversal and operates in the Communication Services sector under the Telecom Services industry, with a market cap of roughly $92.5 billion. The company’s Media segment spans the news and broadcast operations from which Moreno built her career.

The memorial underscored how closely the Rams organization is tied to the Los Angeles press corps, and how the crash rippled through both the sports and local news communities in the days since it occurred.

What to watch

• Findings from the official investigation into the helicopter crash, including details on the reported mechanical failure.
• Any additional memorials or tributes from the Rams or local broadcasters in upcoming broadcasts.
• Comcast’s next quarterly earnings report, which will cover its Media segment operations.

Source: original release