OC mom charged with manslaughter after E-bike riding son kills veteran
An Orange County mother, Tommi Jo Mejer, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after her 14-year-old son allegedly crashed an electric motorcycle into 81-year-old Vietnam veteran Ed Ashman, who later died from his injuries. Prosecutors say Mejer was previously warned by law enforcement about her son's illegal and dangerous riding but allowed it to continue. The incident has prompted warnings from officials about parental responsibility in providing minors with high-powered vehicles.
- ▪Tommi Jo Mejer of Aliso Viejo faces a felony count of involuntary manslaughter after her son struck and killed Ed Ashman while riding an electric motorcycle.
- ▪Ed Ashman, an 81-year-old retired Marine Corps captain and substitute teacher, died from injuries sustained in the April 16 crash in Lake Forest.
- ▪Mejer had been warned by Orange County Sheriff’s deputies months earlier that her son’s riding was illegal and dangerous, yet allegedly allowed it to continue.
- ▪The electric motorcycle involved can reach speeds of nearly 60 mph and is classified as a motorcycle under California law.
- ▪Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer stated that parents who let children illegally operate e-motorcycles will be prosecuted as if they handed them a loaded weapon.
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Metro OC mom charged with manslaughter after E-bike riding son kills veteran By Kevin Barr Published May 1, 2026, 4:54 p.m. ET An Orange County mom is now facing a manslaughter charge after her teenage son allegedly struck and killed an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran while illegally riding an electric motorcycle. Prosecutors upgraded the case from multiple misdemeanor charges and two felony charges against 50-year-old Tommi Jo Mejer of Aliso Viejo following the death of Ed Ashman, a substitute teacher who was critically injured in the crash last month and died Friday, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
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