A California mother has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after her 14-year-old son was accused in an e-motorcycle crash that left an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran and substitute teacher dead, prosecutors say.
Tommi Jo Mejer, 50, of Aliso Viejo, was previously charged with multiple felonies in connection with her son’s e-motorcycle crash, including child endangerment, accessory after the fact to a crime, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in a May 1 news release. Mejer was also charged with misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, loaning a motor vehicle to an unlicensed driver, and providing false information to a peace officer.
The addition of an involuntary manslaughter charge comes after the death of Ed Ashman — a captain in the United States Marine Corps who flew combat missions in Vietnam — a week following the crash, prosecutors said.
“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,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in the release. “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.”
If convicted as charged, Mejer faces a maximum sentence of seven years and eight months in prison, prosecutors said.
What officials say happened
Deputies responded to a report of a pedestrian who was hit by an e-bike, later determined to be an e-motorcycle, in Lake Forest just before 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 16, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.
At the time of the crash, Ashman was walking home from his job as a substitute teacher at El Toro High School, according to prosecutors.
When deputies arrived, they found Ashman with life-threatening injuries.
The suspect fled the area before deputies’ arrival. Witnesses, however, provided deputies with a suspect description. Deputies said the suspect was believed to be driving recklessly at the time of the crash. According to prosecutors, the boy is accused of doing wheelies in the middle of the street when he hit Ashman.
Mother spoke with deputies months before crash
Last June, “Mejer called the Orange County Sheriff’s Department to complain that someone was posting pictures of her then-13-year-old son riding an e-motorcycle,” according to prosecutors.
As Mejer spoke with deputies for nearly 30 minutes, she told them that she had bought her son “a Surron e-motorcycle and knew that he drove it recklessly,” the sheriff’s department said.
“The deputies warned her that she could face potential criminal charges if she continued to allow him to ride the e-motorcycle, which he could not legally ride,” prosecutors said.
Hours after the recent Lake Forest collision, Mejer told deputies investigating the crash that neither she nor her son owned an e-motorcycle, prosecutors said bodycam footage showed.
California’s e-motorcycle law
Deputies later determined a 2025 Surron Ultra Bee was involved in the collision, prosecutors said.
The vehicle is marketed as an off-road e-motorcycle capable of speeds up to 58 miles per hour and accelerating from 0 to 31 miles per hour in 2.3 seconds, prosecutors said. The bike is “16 times more powerful than what is legally allowed for an e-bike.”
With those parameters, law enforcement determined the cycle fell under California Vehicle Code Section 405, or a motorcycle under California Vehicle Code Section 400.
Under both classifications, riders must be 16 years or older and have a motorcycle license to operate the vehicle, prosecutors said. Additionally, the vehicle needs a DMV registration, license plate, insurance, and full motorcycle equipment.
If the vehicle is not registered, “the only approved use of this e-motorcycle is either on private property or properly registered as Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) areas,” according to prosecutors.
Difference between e-bikes and e-motorcyles
“California law distinguishes between e-bikes and E-motorcycles based on three main features: the power limit of its motor, its maximum speed limit, and whether it is equipped with operable pedals,” prosecutors said.
E-bikes that fall under Class 1 or Class 2 designations do not have an age limit or license restrictions, while e-bikes with a Class 3 designation require riders to be 16 or older, according to prosecutors.
Bikes that fall under Class 1, 2, or 3 are not classified as electric motorcycles, prosecutors said.
If a bike is classified as an electric motorcycle, “That means either that the bike has an electric motor that exceeds 750 watts of power or can reach speeds higher than 20 mph on motor power alone,” prosecutors said.
If the bike does not have fully operable pedals, it cannot be considered an e-bike, but instead it would be an e-motorcycle, according to prosecutors.
‘No stranger to bravery’
In a GoFundMe, loved ones said Ashman was “no stranger to bravery.”
“As a Vietnam veteran, he spent years in the cockpit flying jets for the military and serving our country with honor,” loved ones wrote. “After his time in the service, he brought that same dedication to the classroom. To the students at El Toro High, Mr. Ashman is a familiar and friendly face. He is a man who chose to spend his retirement years mentoring and supporting the next generation.”
Ed was a husband, father of three, and grandfather, according to the GoFundMe.
“This is a tragedy for the family of Ed Ashman and for everyone who loved a man who committed himself to his country and his community, and it is a tragedy for our society that we have gotten to a point where parents are refusing to hold their children – and themselves – accountable for endangering the lives of other people,” Spitzer said in the release.
What’s next for California mother’s case?
Mejer was arrested on April 21, then released from custody the following day, according to jail records. She is scheduled to appear in court for arraignment on May 21, prosecutors said.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 81-year-old dies in e-motorcycle crash with teen; California mom charged
Reporting by Daniella Segura, USA TODAY NETWORK / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
