NBC helicopter reporter’s fiance shares heartbreaking tribute one week after crash — and reveals they planned to move to Tennessee farm

The fiancé of the reporter who plunged to her death in an NBC Los Angeles helicopter crash has broken his silence.

Robert Barrientos took to Instagram late Tuesday to pay tribute to Eliana Moreno a week after the horrific incident.

“I know I’ve been truly blessed to have experienced the love I shared with her in this life. Eliana was simply amazing — loving, kind, compassionate, giving, intelligent and extremely silly,” he wrote.

A former radio anchor and Kankakee, Illinois, native, Barrientos recalled the couple’s plans to move to Tennessee.

“We had plans to one day retire and move to Tennessee, have some land and care for some animals. Although those dreams are over, her memory will live in my heart and soul forever,” he added.

The grieving partner said her family has been a source of support for him.

“I want to thank my sons Andrew and Brian, my family, Eliana’s father and the rest of her family for showing me so much love during the hardest time of my life,” he continued.

The deadly crash of NewsChopper 4 in Chatsworth, California, killed three people — Moreno, pilot George Marciniw, and 29-year-old pedestrian Edy Gutierrez Mejia.

Barrientos also thanked those who had reached out to him with messages of support and prayers in the days since the crash, saying he was struggling to put into words the pain he felt after losing Moreno.

“I want to thank everyone for all the love and prayers I’ve received this past week,” Barrientos wrote. “I don’t have the words to express the pain I feel in my heart from losing my love Eliana this way.”

He recalled how passionate Moreno was about her work as an aerial reporter, saying he would sometimes joke with her when she left for work that she was heading to “her favorite place.”

The couple had been engaged for about a year, with Moreno announcing their engagement on social media in October 2025. Barrientos’ tribute offered a glimpse into their plans for a future together.

Barrientos also remembered Moreno’s playful side, saying she had “the best sense of humor” and describing her as loving, kind, compassionate, giving and intelligent.

He said Moreno was particularly devoted to the couple’s two dogs, Penrose and Fullerton, writing that she “loved her 2 dogs Penrose and Fullerton more than anything in this world.”

“I miss Eliana with every part of my body and soul,” he wrote. “My heart aches for her return and wish I could hold her in my arms and tell her I love her.”

Moreno, 38, had worked as an aerial journalist for years and was known to viewers and colleagues for her coverage from the NewsChopper 4 helicopter. She had worked for NBC4 Los Angeles and Telemundo 52 and had previously worked at KCAL 9 and KCBS 2.

She had been with Angel City Air Inc., the company operating the NewsChopper, since September 2010 and later became a familiar presence in the skies over Los Angeles, covering police pursuits, brush fires, traffic incidents and other breaking news from above.

Moreno had also spoken publicly about her love for aerial journalism, at one point describing it as “the best job in the world.”

Outside of work, she shared glimpses of her life with Barrientos on social media, including her efforts to take up running. She completed an Orange County half marathon in under two hours after initially setting herself the much smaller goal of running just one mile.

Barrientos ended his message by thanking those who had shared their own memories and stories about Moreno with him, as well as those who have supported his family since the crash.

“Thank you to everyone sending me all the memory’s and story’s they have made with Eliana,” he wrote. “My heart goes out to everyone affected by this tragedy.”

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