The parents of a 13-year-old boy, who died after losing control of an e-motorcycle and crashing into a center median, were charged with child endangerment, Orange County prosecutors announced Tuesday, Oct. 20.
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Both parents of Santa Ana were charged after the death of their son Benson Nguyen on May 7, when prosecutors allege he had been riding more than 40 miles per hour, running red lights and popping wheelies on his off-highway e-motorcycle. He lost control of the vehicle on Magnolia Street near Larson Avenue in Garden Grove and hit a center median, when he was ejected from the e-motorcycle and hit a concrete light pole, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. Benson was hospitalized and later pronounced dead.
Vu Thanh Nguyen, 56, the boy’s father, also was charged with one misdemeanor count contributing to delinquency of a minor, after prosecutors alleged he bought his son a faster and more powerful e-motorcycle, even though the boy had broken his leg on a different electric vehicle six months before he died. Prosecutors also said Vu Thanh Nguyen had been warned about his son’s riding habits before buying him a new e-motorcycle.
The boy’s mother, Hong Cuc Thi Nguyen, 49, also faces an additional misdemeanor charge of child endangerment, and Vu Thanh Nguyen was charged with felony child endangerment.
Prosecutors said Benson’s Life360 showed he had been traveling 43 miles per hour when he lost control of the e-motorcycle. He also previously had posted videos on TikTok and Instagram that showed him performing tricks on the e-motorcycle, prosecutors alleged.
The vehicle Benson was riding, an E-Ride Pro SS 2.0, can travel up to 40 miles per hour on eco mode and 62 miles per hour on sport mode.
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An E-Ride Pro SS 2.0 can be classified as a motorcycle under California law, prosecutors said, meaning to ride it on the street a driver would need a motorcycle license, license plate, DMV registration, insurance and motorcycle equipment, prosecutors said. Otherwise, the vehicle can only be used on private property or registered as an off-highway vehicle.
In May, the District Attorney’s Office announced a unit focused on e-bike- and e-moto-related issues to pursue charges against juveniles and adults, including parents accused of knowingly letting their kids ride the vehicles illegally.
Its creation followed several other high-profile cases related to young people riding e-motorcycles. Tommi Jo Mejer, an Aliso Viejo mom, charged with involuntary manslaughter after she was accused of letting her 14-year-old son illegally ride an e-motorcycle before he allegedly struck and killed an 81-year-old man in Lake Forest. Prosecutors also charged a Yorba Linda father with felony child endangerment after his 12-year-old son crashed a modified e-motorcycle allegedly capable of going up to 60 miles per hour.
If convicted as charged, Benson’s father could face up to six years in state prison, and his mother could face up to one year in county jail.
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