Her Son's E-Motorcycle Crash Could Send Her to Prison for Years

A California woman has been charged with manslaughter after an 81-year-old man who was struck by her teen son on an e-motorcycle died from his injuries, prosecutors say. On April 16, Tommi Jo Mejer's 14-year-old son was riding a Surron e-motorcycle and doing wheelies when he hit Ed Ashman, according to prosecutors. Ashman, a former captain in the US Marine Corps, was walking home from his job as a substitute teacher at a high school in Lake Forest. He was critically injured and died Thursday. Mejer, of Aliso Viejo in Orange County, was charged with involuntary manslaughter as a result, on top of a previous count of felony child endangerment, the AP reports.

"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," Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement. Mejer was also charged with felony accessory after the fact and misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and providing false information to an officer. Mejer could face almost eight years in prison if found guilty on all counts, People reports.

• "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," Spitzer said.

• In June 2025, prosecutors said, Mejer called the Sheriff's Department to complain that someone was posting pictures of her son riding the e-motorcycle. In an interaction with deputies that was recorded by body camera, she said she bought the vehicle and "knew that he drove it recklessly." She was warned by deputies that she could face criminal charges for letting him ride it illegally, prosecutors said.
• A bike is classified as an e-motorcycle under state law if it has an electric motor with more than 750 watts of power or can reach speeds above 20 mph without having to pedal. Riders are required to be at least 16 years old and have a motorcycle license. The Surron e-motorcycle in question is capable of 56 mph speeds, according to manufacturers.
• In the hours after the April collision, Mejer told deputies that neither she nor her son owned a Surron e-motorcycle or had access to one, prosecutors said. The district attorney's office said it could not discuss whether the boy will face prosecution because it is a juvenile case.