Horrifying moment cockroach scuttles up TV reporter's neck on live broadcast

An LA news reporter is being hailed for her professionalism after a cockroach landed on her neck during a live broadcast in a clip that has now gone viral.

If there's a list of things you would rather not happen while presenting live television, a cockroach landing on your neck has to be up there.

But Los Angeles KTLA 5 news reporter Rachel Menitoff has been praised for her handling of the horrifying situation, after the enormous insect crawled across her neck and chest as she reported live about the ongoing heatwave.

"And it's a lot more comfortable at this hour, but we’re still in the 80s here in the Valley," she said during the shocking encounter.

The National Weather Service has issued an 'extreme heat warning' for Southern California, where temperatures could range between 90 degrees to 110 degrees.

She continued: "Overnight temperatures aren’t necessarily dropping, and this leads to less recovery time from the daytime heat."

But reporter almost-impossibly remained completely unfazed by the creature crawling across her body, and footage of the jaw-dropping moment has since circulated on social media.

"How she didn’t freak out despite being in camera is beyond me," one said.

As another added: "I would have lost my mind, entire day ruined, news reporting OVER."

The reporter has been praised online for how she handled the horrifying situation. (@ktla/YouTube)

A third called for the presenter to be 'given a raise', as they noted: "If she can remain calm and cool like that, she can report the news anywhere without being afraid."

Menitoff has now spoken out about what was going through her head during the terrifying moment, as she recalled the next day: "I said to myself, 'Just get through this moment and then kind of shake it off'.

"Ironically, the story was about the extreme heat in the Valley, and these cockroaches are attracted to the heat and the warm temperatures and our camera lights."

She added: "So, it was sort of the perfect environment for the roaches."

She was able to continue the broadcast as if nothing had happened. (@ktla/YouTube)

Her colleague, Eric Spillman, admitted: "I have to hand it to her. She was really calm."

As a fellow news reporter wrote on X: "Had this happened to me, I would have freaked out."

Another journalist added: "This is why I prefer print. KTLA would've had a hefty fine for the number of curses that would've come out of my mouth if this happened to me. What a pro."