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LAKE FOREST, Calif. () — An Aliso Viejo mother made her first court appearance Tuesday morning after being charged with involuntary manslaughter for allegedly allowing her 14-year-old son to ride an e-motorcycle that fatally struck an 81-year-old man in April.
Tommi Jo Mejer’s scheduled arraignment was postponed. She is now scheduled to be arraigned June 30 in Newport Beach.
Orange County prosecutors contend that the 51-year-old woman allowed her son to use the motorized cycle despite being warned of its dangers. Mejer is also charged with child endangerment and being an accessory after the fact to a crime, along with misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and providing false information to a peace officer. She also faces an infraction for permitting an unlicensed minor under the age of 18 to drive a motor vehicle.
“Tommi Mejer is anguished over the terrible accident,” Mejer’s attorneys said in a statement. “She sends her deepest condolences and sorrow over this tragedy. This has been devastating for everyone. It is premature to make any other statement.”
Mejer’s son was riding an e-motorcycle that crashed into 81-year-old Ed Ashman at about 4 p.m. April 16 near Toledo Way and Ridge Route Drive, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Ashman — a substitute teacher and Vietnam veteran — was originally hospitalized in critical condition. He died on April 30, after which prosecutors to file an amended criminal complaint against Mejer, charging her with involuntary manslaughter.
Orange County prosecutors allege the teen who struck Ashman was doing wheelies with the Surron e-motorcycle before the collision and then fled the scene. Mejer faces a maximum sentence of seven years and eight months in state prison if convicted on all counts.
An Orange County mother is facing an additional charge of involuntary manslaughter after the death of an 81-year-old man, who had been hit by an electric motorcycle driven by her teen son.
Mejer complained to Orange County sheriff’s deputies in June of last year about someone posting pictures of her son when he was 13 riding an e- motorcycle, prosecutors said. Mejer acknowledged she bought the e-motorcycle for her son and it was being used recklessly, prompting warnings from the deputies that she could face charges herself if she continued to let him ride the vehicle, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors say the 2025 Surron Ultra Bee, which the teen was riding, requires a motorcycle license, insurance, license plate and registration to use on a public street, and without it the vehicle can only be used on private property or off-highway vehicle areas.
When sheriff’s deputies investigating the crash questioned Mejer, she allegedly said her family didn’t own an e-motorcycle or have access to one. The difference between an e-bike and e-motorcycle is that an e-bike has pedals and cannot exceed 20 mph, 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,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer in a statement. “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.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to help support Ashman’s family.
The dangers of e-motorcycles gained renewed attention last Thursday, when a 13-year-old boy was killed when he crashed one of the motorized cycles into a median in Garden Grove. Benson Nguyen of Santa Ana crashed around 9:50 p.m. Thursday on Magnolia Street near Larson Avenue, according to Garden Grove police, who said the boy was riding at about 35 mph when he lost control of the motorcycle.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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