Mystery Deepens as Woman’s Arrest Sheds New Light on Fatal LA Bus and Helicopter Crash Tragedy
What happens when a red light gets ignored and fate takes a deadly detour? On September 15, Los Angeles witnessed a tragic bus crash that claimed two innocent lives and left many more injured, all sparked by a 36-year-old woman speeding the wrong way down DeSoto Avenue. Bailee Lynn Rios now faces murder charges, but the shockwaves from this catastrophe didn’t end there. Just hours later, a helicopter covering this very story plummeted from the sky, adding layers of grief and mystery to an already heart-wrenching day. It’s a somber reminder that sometimes, tragedy compounds — and questions about fate, responsibility, and loss hang heavy in the air. Ready to dive into the full story behind these intertwined disasters?
Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, was speeding on the wrong side of DeSoto Avenue when she ran a red light and struck a Metro bus on Nordhoff Street. The driver’s SUV lodged halfway into the bus, and one passenger was fully ejected, while another was partially ejected.
Bus riders Gage Weida, 31, and Daniel Castillo, 46, were killed by the collision. Four others, including Rios, were injured.
The Associated Press was able to interview Cindy Rios, the mother of Bailee Lynn.
“The fact that my daughter was involved and was the cause of it is just extremely disturbing,” Cindy Rios said to the outlet. “If anything, I’m sorry for the other families … My daughter’s alive. People lost their lives.”
The family is raising funds to help pay for Castillo’s funeral and related expenses. Donate to the fundraiser here.
Autumn Reiff, long-term girlfriend of Gage Weida, also spoke of her loss. In a Facebook post, she called Weida her “other half” and said that he was the person closest to her who loved her without condition.
“My world is shattered. I ask the Lord why he couldn’t have taken me first,” Reiff wrote.
A helicopter carrying NBC4 Los Angeles reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw crashed in a parking lot near the scene of the bus crash – which ended in their deaths.
Edy Gutierrez Mejia, who was standing in the parking lot, was also killed.
As of Sep. 16, what caused the aircraft collision is still being investigated.
But National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator Fabian Salazar told reporters during a press conference that the engine’s speed might have changed.
Salazar came up with the theory after listening to audio from the cockpit right before the crash. In the audio, beeping sounds and a woman, seemingly Moreno, saying “oh no” are heard.
Shortly after, she questions the pilot, “You can’t pull up?”
The audio then cuts out.
The NTSB is also investigating the deadly Metro bus crash, which Moreno was covering before her death.
Additionally, NBC4 aired segments honoring Moreno and Marciniw, who began flying together in 2023.
In the broadcast, colleagues reminisced about working with the duo.
“George loved flying, he took pictures, the most beautiful pictures from his bird. They loved flying together, they loved their jobs and they knew the risks and they took those risks for us, for our viewers, you know, every day,” tearful NBC4 reporter Lynette Romero shared.
Another anchor called Moreno the “gold standard in this market and a gold standard as a person. She did it in two languages.”
More colleagues also shared memories of working with the duo, demonstrating the impact Moreno and Marciniw had on the newsroom.
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