OC mother charged with manslaughter after son's e-motorcycle kills Vietnam vet

An Orange County mother faces an involuntary manslaughter charge after her 14-year-old son, riding an illegally modified e-motorcycle, struck and killed an 81-year-old substitute teacher outside El Toro High School, the Orange County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday.

The case is the third this year in Orange County in which a parent has been charged over a minor's illegal e-motorcycle operation, underscoring what law enforcement describes as a widening public safety crisis involving high-powered bikes near schools.

Ed Ashman, 81, was walking home from a shift as a substitute teacher at El Toro High School on April 16 when the teenager — riding a Surron-brand e-motorcycle — lost control while performing wheelies and struck him, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. Ashman, a Vietnam War combat veteran, died seven days later on April 23.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer announced the new involuntary manslaughter charge Thursday, adding it to prior counts against Mejer that include child endangerment, accessory after the fact, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, loaning a vehicle to an unlicensed driver and providing false information to a peace officer.

Spitzer said sheriff's deputies had warned Mejer nearly a year before the crash. In June 2025, deputies spent roughly 30 minutes explaining the dangers and illegality of allowing her son to operate the vehicle. "We have her on body-worn camera talking about and understanding the dangers and the illegality of this particular vehicle," Spitzer said.

Despite that warning, prosecutors allege, Mejer continued allowing her son to ride. "This mother essentially handed her 14-year-old son a deadly weapon, and despite multiple warnings of the dangers, continued to let him illegally ride an E-Motorcycle until he finally killed someone," Spitzer said, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

Under California law, e-motorcycles capable of exceeding 20 mph require a motorcycle license, insurance and registration. The Surron model involved in the crash is classified as such a vehicle, making its operation by an unlicensed minor illegal.

"An American hero who survived flying combat missions in Vietnam could not survive walking across the street in Lake Forest because of a 14-year-old child who was allowed to ride an E-Motorcycle that he should have never been riding," Spitzer said. Prosecutors noted the case is the third this year in Orange County in which a parent has been charged in connection with a minor's unlicensed e-motorcycle operation.

Prosecutors did not identify Mejer's son because he is a minor. No arraignment date for the involuntary manslaughter charge had been announced as of Thursday.