Prosecutors say the 14-year-old rider was doing wheelies near El Toro High School.
SANTA ANA, Calif. — An Orange County mother has been charged after prosecutors said her 14-year-old son critically injured an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran while illegally riding an e-motorcycle near a Lake Forest high school.
Tommi Jo Mejer, 50, of Aliso Viejo, faces felony and misdemeanor charges tied to the April 16 crash near El Toro High School. Prosecutors said the victim, Ed Ashman, was walking home after working as a substitute teacher when he was struck by the teen, who was riding a Surron Ultra Bee e-motorcycle. Ashman remained hospitalized in critical condition after the crash.
The collision happened around 4 p.m. near Toledo Way and Ridge Route Drive, an area that borders the high school campus. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office said the teenager was doing wheelies in the middle of the street when he hit Ashman. Authorities said the rider left the scene after the crash. Deputies responding to the call found Ashman with life-threatening injuries, and he was taken to a hospital. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said the case showed the danger of powerful electric motorcycles being used by children on public streets. “There is absolutely no reason that an unlicensed, untrained child with no concept of the rules of the road should be riding a motorcycle that can go up to nearly 60 miles per hour next to cars,” Spitzer said.
Prosecutors said Mejer had been warned before the crash that her son could not legally ride the vehicle. In June 2025, Mejer called the Orange County Sheriff’s Department to complain that someone had posted photos of her then-13-year-old son riding an e-motorcycle. During a 28-minute exchange captured on body-worn camera, prosecutors said, Mejer admitted she bought the Surron e-motorcycle for her son and knew he drove it recklessly. Deputies told her she could face criminal charges if she continued to let him ride it, prosecutors said. After the April crash, prosecutors said Mejer repeatedly told deputies that neither she nor her son owned or had access to a Surron.
Mejer was arrested April 21 by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department at the Lamoreaux Justice Center in Orange. She was charged with one felony count of child endangerment and one felony count of accessory after the fact to a crime. She also faces 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. If convicted on all counts, she faces a maximum sentence of six years and eight months in state prison. Senior Deputy District Attorney Noor Hasan of the Family Protection Unit is prosecuting the case.
The district attorney’s office said the Surron Ultra Bee involved in the crash was inspected by law enforcement and classified as a motor-driven cycle or motorcycle under California law. That means it required a valid motorcycle license for street operation, along with DMV registration, a license plate, insurance and full motorcycle equipment. Prosecutors said the model is marketed for off-road use, can reach speeds up to 58 mph and can accelerate from 0 to 31 mph in 2.3 seconds. They said its peak power is 16 times higher than what is allowed for an e-bike. Without the required legal setup, prosecutors said, the vehicle may only be used on private property or in properly registered off-highway vehicle areas.
Ashman was identified in reports and a family fundraiser as a retired Marine Corps captain, Vietnam veteran, substitute teacher, husband, father and grandfather. The fundraiser said he was walking home from El Toro High School when he was struck and described him as a familiar and friendly presence to students. Prosecutors said he flew combat missions in Vietnam and was still hospitalized in critical condition after the collision. The crash drew concern from students and families around the school, where electric bikes and e-motorcycles have become a visible part of daily traffic near campus streets.
The case is part of a broader push by Orange County prosecutors to charge parents who allow children to ride illegal e-motorcycles. The district attorney’s office said it has filed child endangerment charges against three parents since January in cases tied to children operating such vehicles. One earlier case involved a Yorba Linda father whose 12-year-old son was critically injured after running a red light on an e-motorcycle modified to go up to 60 mph. Spitzer said his office is focusing on parents because juvenile cases are handled under different legal rules. He said parents who buy illegal e-motorcycles for children or help modify e-bikes into faster vehicles will face prosecution.
Authorities have not publicly named the 14-year-old because he is a juvenile. The district attorney’s office said state law limits what it can release about juvenile investigations. It was not immediately clear from public statements what juvenile charges, if any, the teen may face. Mejer’s next court proceedings are expected later in the year, and the criminal case against her will move forward in Orange County.
The crash investigation remains tied to the court case against Mejer and to Ashman’s condition. Prosecutors have said the charges could carry more than six years in prison if Mejer is convicted on all counts.
Author note: Last updated April 28, 2026.