SweSwe Aye/ Myanmar Gazette
CHATSWORTH, Calif. — More than 100 residents from across the northwestern San Fernando Valley gathered at St. John Eudes Parish on Thursday evening, lighting candles to honor the five victims killed in a heartbreaking series of related disasters.
The tragedy began Tuesday around 5 p.m. when a speeding SUV driving on the wrong side of the road slammed into Metro Bus 166. Roughly two hours later, an aerial news helicopter covering the collision scene crashed nearby, claiming three more lives. Grieving families, friends, and neighbors filled the sanctuary alongside local leaders to share in the collective mourning.
The two intertwined tragedies took five lives: Metro bus passengers Daniel Castillo, 46, and Gage Weida, 31; veteran pilot George Marciniw, 70, and photojournalist Eliana Moreno, 38, aboard the news helicopter; and Edy Gutierrez Mejia, 29, who was struck on the ground when the aircraft came down.
Each victim left behind unfinished stories. Castillo was a dedicated father of four. Weida’s family was preparing to celebrate his 32nd birthday this coming weekend. Gutierrez Mejia had arrived from Guatemala just two days earlier to visit. Moreno, born and raised in Orange County and a 2010 graduate of Chapman University, had been flying breaking news assignments across the region alongside Marciniw since 2023. Marciniw was an aviation veteran with over three decades of flight training experience who graduated from Burbank High School in 1974.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, City Councilmember John Lee, and Los Angeles Fire Department Chaplain Kevin Smith joined the vigil to offer condolences before the candlelight ceremony began.
Mourning the victims, Mayor Bass expressed solidarity with the affected newsrooms, affirming that the city’s heart is “with the entire NBC4 and Telemundo 52 family.” She also offered prayers for those still hospitalized and praised the courage of “journalists and first responders who are on the front lines of traumatic incidents like this all the time.”
Councilmember Lee addressed the congregation, describing the fallen as “five people, each with their own story, loved ones, and future.” Acknowledging that no words could heal “such tremendous loss,” Lee commended the community’s swift unity. “When tragedy strikes one of us, we stand together,” he said, thanking Mayor Bass, the St. John Youth community, and first responders from LAPD, LAFD, and Metro who rushed to both scenes.
LAFD Chaplain Kevin Smith called on attendees to bow their heads and link arms, praying, “Heavenly Father, we come before you as one community with pain and sorrow.” Smith then lit the candles held by Mayor Bass and Councilmember Lee, who passed the flame through the crowd.
Local residents expressed deep sorrow and outrage over the senseless destruction. “What happened yesterday is beyond words for those of us living in Chatsworth,” said Oja, 81, a local retiree. “Because of one reckless driver, two innocent people died instantly. Hours later, two people covering the news in helicopter and a bystander on the ground lost their lives. The pain of these families is immense.”
Authorities identified the driver as Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, of Simi Valley. Investigators stated Rios ran a red light and drove a Ford Expedition SUV the wrong way at freeway speeds down De Soto Avenue before crashing into the transit bus.
Los Angeles County prosecutors filed two counts of second-degree murder against Rios on Thursday. District Attorney Nathan Hochman confirmed that Rios also faces charges of reckless driving and driving under the influence in connection with the fatal crash.
For commuters, the crash struck an unsettling nerve. “It is terrifying for those of us who rely on public transit every day to get to work,” said Lynn, a commuter from Reseda. “Officials need to address the root causes of reckless driving so another catastrophe like this never happens again.”
During her remarks, Mayor Bass reflected on the painful disruption of ordinary life: “Simply going to work, coming from work to come back to your family, you expect to see them, and they never arrive.”
Asked about public transit safety and how a neighborhood recovers from such grief, Councilmember Lee emphasized that true healing must emerge from community solidarity. “Two people just coming home from work, riding the bus… Two people who were just doing their job lost their lives,” Lee said. “When it happens in your backyard, this community feels a sense of responsibility. All day, people called asking, ‘How can we help? What can we do?'” “The healing will take long,” Lee added. “Obviously, we have resources in the city, but as far as our own community, it’s so tight-knit. We will continue to look for ways that we can not only heal together, but see how we can truly help.”
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