Lisa Colagrossi, WABC reporter, dies at 49; condolences to our sister station

NEW YORK -- We have some sad news to share with you about our Eyewitness News family.

Lisa Colagrossi, Eyewitness News reporter, anchor, wife and mother, has died at age 49.

Lisa suffered a brain hemorrhage while returning from covering a story Thursday morning.

Thursday seemed like just another morning, with Lisa Colagrossi doing what she did so well, reporting live from the scene. She was an amazing reporter, committed to Eyewitness News. She was dedicated to telling a story with honesty, a working woman, a hockey mom, she was gutsy and fearless.

We here at Eyewitness News are still in shock and we're trying to cope with the loss of someone we loved and valued.

It's what New Yorkers came to know from Lisa Colagrossi, authentic, steady, reassuring reporting.

She was the ultimate pro who could go from tackling crimes to financial news; Lisa could find humor even at the expense of herself.

She covered some of the biggest stories in the Tri-State for almost 14 years. She started working at WABC the Sunday after the World Trade Center disaster.

In a town that's pretty tough to crack, this native Clevelander out hustled other New York reporters from the very beginning, by becoming the only reporter to get to Belle Harbor, Queens when Flight 587 crashed after takeoff from JFK Airport.

Like every other seasoned reporter and anchor, she had a couple stops before she became part of the Eyewitness News family, including stations in Orlando and Cleveland.

It was on "Eyewitness News This Morning" that Lisa became part of our morning routine.

She always had the viewer in mind; whether it was rain, snow, whatever the elements, she was out there.

She could walk you through any story, even the hardest ones including the Sandy Hook tragedy.

Her talents were not just limited to reporting, she was an excellent anchor as well.

She shined showing her Italian pride as she mingled with the crowd during the Columbus Day Parade.

But most important to her was her family; her husband Todd, their two sons Davis and Evan.

And in case you didn't know, Lisa was an avid New York Rangers fan and loved Henrik Lundqvist; you can see evidence of that all over her Facebook page.

It's hard to imagine mornings without Lisa.

Always with measured precision, she was smart, tough, and compassionate.

This is a tough time for us, but each of us has a "Lisa" story that we will hang on to.

To Lisa's husband and children and parents and siblings, we grieve with you. You are in our prayers and we are thankful to have had Lisa in this family.

We will all miss her.