Edy Gutierrez Mejia (29), known as “Pichi” by family and friends, is another confirmed victim of the fatal NewsChopper 4 crash. On Tuesday night, Mejia was in Los Angeles on a short business trip, standing near a car when NewsChopper 4 crashed nearby. He was one of three victims killed in the helicopter crash, which also claimed the lives of NBC4 reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw.

Who Was Edy Gutierrez Mejia?

Mejia, whose full name was Edy Fernando Gutiérrez Mejía, was from Cuilapa, a town in Guatemala’s Santa Rosa department, according to a condolence post from a fellow resident shared on Facebook. His social media showed a young man who played soccer, traveled, and spent time with loved ones.

“He was very playful; he liked to tell jokes and make people laugh,” his family told KMEX in Spanish.

A friend, Daniel Castillo, described him similarly to KVEA. “He was a cheerful person, someone who was always there for those who needed him,” Castillo said. “He was always a dynamic, hardworking young man, and today we sadly woke up to the sad news of his passing in this accident that occurred in the US.”

A Short Trip That Turned Into a Tragedy

Accounts differ on Mejia’s exact timeline in Los Angeles. People reported that his family said he arrived from Guatemala earlier that day and planned a two-day trip to buy cars for business, citing an interview with KVEA. NBC Los Angeles reported that Mejia’s cousin told Telemundo 52, KVEA’s sister station, that he had already been in town for two days to buy a car and intended to sell it back home.

According to People, Mejia was standing near a car outside a storage facility when the crash happened, in a business parking lot near the intersection of Nordhoff Street and Lurline Avenue in Chatsworth.

How Officials Identified Him

The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner identified Mejia as the crash’s third victim on Wednesday, a day after the accident. His place of death was listed as a “business parking lot,” according to the coroner’s report, which reported Wednesday morning that a cause of death had not yet been determined. However, 24 hours later, the office declared the cause to be blunt head trauma. His family is now working to send his body back to Guatemala.

The Crash That Took His Life

On Tuesday night, NewsChopper 4, operated by Angel City Air for NBC4 and Telemundo 52, was covering a fatal Metro bus collision on Nordhoff Street when it crashed just before 7 p.m., killing Moreno, 38, and Marciniw. The bus crash it had been covering killed two people and injured six others; the SUV driver involved, a woman, was arrested on suspicion of murder, though she had not yet been charged, according to People.

The FAA’s preliminary report identified the aircraft as a Eurocopter AS350 and said it crashed “UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES,” with a post-crash fire. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the cause, while the FAA is examining regulatory and licensing questions.

Meanwhile, two additional people were hospitalized, one for an apparent panic attack and another in unclear condition.

Tags: Chatsworth Helicopter Crash