OC mother charged after son's e-motorcycle crash critically injures veteran

An Aliso Viejo mother faces more than six years in state prison after her 14-year-old son crashed a high-speed electric motorcycle into an 81-year-old Vietnam War veteran and substitute teacher outside a Lake Forest high school, leaving him critically injured, Orange County prosecutors announced.

The case is the third time in 2026 that an Orange County parent has been criminally charged for allowing a child to ride an illegally operated e-motorcycle — a pattern District Attorney Todd Spitzer said he will pursue aggressively as a broader enforcement signal.

Tommi Jo Mejer, 50, faces one felony count of child endangerment, one felony count of accessory after the fact and three misdemeanor counts, ABC7 Los Angeles reported. "She's looking at over six years in state prison," District Attorney Todd Spitzer told Eyewitness News.

The 14-year-old was doing wheelies on a Surron e-motorcycle outside El Toro High School when he struck Ed Ashman, who was walking home from work. Ashman, a Vietnam War veteran and substitute teacher, remained hospitalized in critical condition as of the report. "We are praying that this substitute school teacher will have a full recovery, and that the charges don't change at all," Spitzer said.

Orange County sheriff's deputies had warned Mejer in June 2025 that her son could not legally operate the Surron, spending nearly 30 minutes explaining the vehicle's legal status and potential criminal consequences, according to ABC7. "We have her on body-worn camera talking about and understanding the dangers and the illegality of this particular vehicle," Spitzer said.

The Surron is classified as a motor vehicle under state law, requiring a motorcycle license, insurance and registration. "It could go up to 60 mph with that particular model, and it could go from like 35 mph in two to three seconds," Spitzer said. E-bikes that remain under 20 mph carry no age or licensing restrictions, but faster models require a motorcycle license.

Mejer's case marks the third Orange County parent charged in 2026 for illegally allowing a child to ride an e-motorcycle. "I am going to prosecute parents to the fullest extent of the law. As parents, whether you like it or not, we're responsible for the conduct of our children," Spitzer said.

In a press release, Spitzer said: "Parents who buy their child an E-motorcycle and let them ride them illegally or help modify e-Bikes to transform them into E-motorcycles are handing their children a loaded weapon — and those parents are going to be prosecuted."