Lisa Colagrossi dies of brain aneurysm at 49

WABC/Channel 7’s Eyewitness News reporter Lisa Colagrossi died on March 20 after suffering a brain hemorrhage following an aneurysm.

Lisa Colagrossi, 49, collapsed on March 19 while out on assignment, according to officials at the television station.

The mother-of-two was rushed to New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center’s neurological ICU and placed on life support. She never regained consciousness.

Lisa Colagrossi’s family was at her bedside when doctors gave them the heartbreaking news that it was unlikely that she’d recover, sources said.

The newsroom was left “reeling” after station general manager Dave Davis told co-workers about the tragedy.

“Lisa Colagrossi embodied the Eyewitness News spirit—a straightforward reporter who told the truth, empathetic to the everyday citizens of the New York area, and demanding of those in power,” said Dave Davis, president and general manager of WABC-TV in a statement released on March 20.

Lisa Colagrossi collapsed on her way back from a live report at the scene of a four-alarm fire in Woodhaven, Queens, that tore through a series of homes late Wednesday night.

“She was in the news van after finishing her live shot when she said <<Oh my God, something is wrong>>, ” a friend said.

A co-worker said that Lisa Colagrossi’s producer flagged down an ambulance and she was taken to the hospital.

Lisa Colagrossi joined WABC in 2001 as a morning reporter. She also filled in occasionally at the anchor desk.

Before joining Channel 7, Lisa Colagrossi worked as an anchor at WKMG in Orlando, where she won two local Emmy awards.

Lisa Colagrossi was a resident of Stamford, Connecticut, and is survived by her husband, Todd Crawford, and two sons, ages 11 and 14.

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