The Aporia · Accused bus crash killer had drugs in her car before wreck that led to deadly LA helicopter crash

Accused bus crash killer had drugs in her car before wreck that led to deadly LA helicopter crash

Read the original at New York Post ↗

Cite

APA MLA Chicago

O'Keefe, R. (2026, September 17). Accused bus crash killer had drugs in her car before wreck that led to deadly LA helicopter crash. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/17/us-news/drugs-found-on-suv-driver-who-hit-la-metro-bus-before-helicopter-crash/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

Jessica Rios, accused of causing a bus crash that indirectly led to a deadly helicopter crash in Los Angeles, had drugs found in her car prior to the incident. She is now hospitalized after sustaining injuries in the Tuesday collision, which resulted in two fatalities and several injuries. Rios missed a court appearance on Thursday due to her hospitalization and faces murder charges related to this event.

Written by AI on 2026-09-17, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On Tuesday, an SUV driven by Bailee Lynn Rios crashed into an LA Metro bus near Chatsworth, killing two people on the bus. This crash was captured on video and occurred around 9:47 a.m. when Rios allegedly drove through a red light, hit another car, and then collided with the bus. The collision involved three vehicles and injured six others, including the driver of the SUV.

Following this incident, an NBC news helicopter that had been covering the crash also crashed nearby, leading to the deaths of the pilot George Marciniw and reporter Eliana Moreno, along with a pedestrian named Edy Gutierrez Mejia. Rios is facing multiple charges including two counts of second-degree murder for the bus victims Daniel Castillo (46) and Gage Weida (31), driving under the influence, and reckless driving.

Police discovered suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in Rios's vehicle post-crash, indicating she was likely high on drugs at the time. She is being held on a $4.1 million bond with a court appearance scheduled for Friday.

Written for “LA Bus Crash Before Helicopter Tragedy” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 15 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

0 of 2 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

66/100

New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Crime & Law

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Ross O'Keefe

98 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction

🔮 Organizers said before the stunt that Houdini II would throw $1,000 from the sky as a “gesture promoting social unity, peace, and global harmony.”

2026-10-30 · assertive framing · Escape artist performs death-defying stunt 9 stories up to honor 100th anniversary of Harry Houdini’s death

🔮 Currently, the project is set to run out of money in 2027 without ever having laid a single piece of track.

2026-10-29 · assertive framing · Bullet train boss makes mad dash for cigars in his gym gear — hours after quitting his $231B flop

🔮 It’s unclear who will take his place.

2026-10-29 · mixed framing · CEO of California’s doomed $231B bullet train project suddenly quits

🔮 “This was a horrific case in which Virzi used her trusted relationship with the Roberts/Katz family to place herself in a situation where she could commit her horrendous acts.

2026-10-28 · assertive framing · UC San Diego student takes plea deal in newborn’s death, admits terrifying urge to murder babies

🔮 We know that many of you around the world share in our mourning, and we will be following up on plans to recognize and celebrate her incredible life and legacy.”

2026-10-28 · assertive framing · Civil rights legend Dolores Huerta, who aired horrific rape claims against Cesar Chavez, dies aged 96

🔮 Close relatives of the slain teen, Mina Kurdian, described to the California Post the terrifying lead-up to the alleged killing — while also revealing they believed suspect Paul Anthony Cruz Jr. was only 17 years old. “He was never presented to any of the family members,” a relative said, adding Mina’s loved ones would not have approved if they knew Cruz was an adult.

2026-10-24 · assertive framing · Chilling new details emerge in teen girl’s alleged murder by 20-year-old ex in LA suburb — as his secret exposed

🔮 A California man has been charged with murder after allegedly poisoning his foster mother, burying her in a hole and forging a marriage certificate so he could take control of her assets.

2026-10-22 · mixed framing · California son ‘married’ powerful attorney mom, poisoned her then threw her body in a hole before creating insane backstory: DA

🔮 “Anyone who targets me or my family, invades our privacy, or engages in harassment will be met with a full and firm response.

2026-10-22 · assertive framing · Ex-White House staffer goes incognito as she’s spotted in LA — but there’s a dead giveaway it’s her

🔮 He added that investigators say the girls looked up how to obtain a firearm despite their young age and also discussed hunting license requirements and whether guns could be purchased online or obtained through other sources.

2026-10-21 · assertive framing · Twisted revenge plot revealed as possible motive after two teen girls planned to shoot up SoCal high school: cops

🔮 “Over the past several months, we’ve taken a hard look at our business, how we operate, and what it will take to lead in this next era of interactive entertainment,” Cam Weber, president and chief studios officer, and David Tinson, president and COO, said in a memo. “We’ve challenged assumptions, confronted hard realities, imagined new possibilities, and made deliberate choices in order to deliver exceptional experiences for our players and to drive sustained growth,” they added.

2026-10-21 · mixed framing · Mass layoffs rock California gaming giant as boss’ internal memo leaks

Also by Ross O'Keefe

Escape artist performs death-defying stunt 9 stories up to honor 100th anniversary of Harry Houdini’s death

2026-10-30 · New York Post

Bullet train boss makes mad dash for cigars in his gym gear — hours after quitting his $231B flop

2026-10-29 · New York Post

CEO of California’s doomed $231B bullet train project suddenly quits

2026-10-29 · New York Post

UC San Diego student takes plea deal in newborn’s death, admits terrifying urge to murder babies

2026-10-28 · New York Post

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 98 articles by Ross O'Keefe →

Claims (2 extracted, 0 hedged)

Rios missed her court appearance on Thursday as she remains hospitalized with injuries from the Tuesday crash, which killed two people and injured several others. asserted

which → miss → others

Rios is facing murder charges in connection with the collision. asserted

Rios → face → collision

Accused bus crash killer had drugs in her car before wreck that led to deadly LA helicopter crash

Quick Summary

AI analysis

Story

Compared with similar articles

Signals How these are calculated →

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Publisher

Who wrote this

Topics

Subjects

Narrative

Claims (2 extracted, 0 hedged)