A 50-year-old Orange County mother now faces a manslaughter charge because she kept letting her teenage son ride an illegal, high-powered electric motorcycle after officials warned her to stop.
Story Snapshot
- Tommi Jo Mejer of Aliso Viejo faces felony child endangerment, accessory after the fact, and involuntary manslaughter charges tied to her son’s e-motorcycle crash.
- Her 14-year-old son allegedly struck and critically injured 81-year-old Vietnam veteran Ed Ashman while doing wheelies on a 2025 Surron-style bike.
- Ashman, a substitute teacher walking home from work, later died, and prosecutors amended the complaint to add homicide charges.
- At least six more Orange County parents now face similar child endangerment charges tied to illegal e-moto use by their kids.
The Crash That Started It All
On April 16, prosecutors say Mejer’s son was riding a 2025 Surron-style e-motorcycle through Lake Forest when he struck Ed Ashman, an 81-year-old substitute teacher and Vietnam veteran walking home from work. The boy was allegedly performing wheelies at the time of impact. Ashman suffered critical injuries. Mejer was arrested on April 21, just five days later.
A Mother Repeatedly Warned, Prosecutors Say
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office says Mejer had been warned more than once about the danger of letting her middle-schooler ride the illegal vehicle. She was first charged with felony child endangerment, felony accessory after the fact, misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor, loaning a motor vehicle to an unlicensed driver, and giving false information to a peace officer. Prosecutors built the case on her knowledge and her failure to act on it.
Her attorneys responded with a brief statement calling Mejer “anguished over the terrible accident” and offering condolences to the victim’s family, while saying it was premature to discuss the allegations in detail.
From Injury Charges to a Homicide Count
Ashman died from his injuries weeks after the crash. That changed everything. Prosecutors filed an amended complaint adding one felony count of involuntary manslaughter, on top of the existing child endangerment and accessory charges. Mejer appeared in court facing the upgraded case, with the Los Angeles Times confirming the full list: manslaughter, endangerment, accessory, delinquency, unlicensed loan, and false statements. What began as a reckless-teen story became a homicide prosecution of a parent.
A Pattern Across Orange County, Not an Isolated Case
Mejer’s case is not standing alone. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer announced that six more parents face child endangerment charges for allowing their children to illegally ride e-motos. One case involves a 13-year-old boy, Benson Nguyen, who died while illegally riding an e-bike in Garden Grove. His parents now face child endangerment charges as well, with prosecutors citing the father’s professional background as relevant to what he knew about the risks.
California prosecutors are sending a stark warning to parents: let your young kids ride overpowered e-motos illegally, and you might be the one facing criminal charges. The Orange County District Attorney's office announced Wednesday that at least 12 parents have been charged…
— MIR .CHEN (@MRchen881) October 23, 2026
Spitzer’s office has framed these filings as a deterrent message to parents across the county, not a one-time reaction to a single tragedy. Multiple families now face felony exposure for a decision many treated as routine: buying a fast electric bike and looking the other way when the rules got ignored.
Why California Law Can Put Parents in the Crosshairs
California does not automatically hold parents responsible for a child’s actions. Courts generally require proof the parent knew the child was dangerous and had the ability to stop it. That standard, built from the Restatement of Torts and reflected in California’s civil jury instructions, asks whether a parent had both the opportunity and the power to control the child’s conduct and failed to use it.
E-bikes and e-motos are sorted into classes under state law, with speed limits, age minimums, and helmet rules attached to each category. Riders under 18 must wear helmets, and the more powerful machines carry stricter age and licensing requirements. Injury data backs up why regulators are nervous: emergency rooms have seen e-bike injuries climb sharply in recent years as these vehicles spread through neighborhoods faster than enforcement has kept pace.
These cases send a blunt message to parents weighing convenience against consequence. A bike that looks like a toy can carry motorcycle-grade speed, and a parent’s knowledge of that gap now carries real legal weight. Prosecutors are betting that fear of a felony charge will do what warnings alone could not.
Sources:
abcnews.com, orangecountyda.org, people.com, latimes.com, 10news.com, sfchronicle.com
