After Orange County teen dies in e-moto crash, parents hit with child endangerment charges

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office has filed child endangerment charges against the parents of Benson Nguyen, a 13-year-old from Santa Ana who died in May after crashing an e-motorcycle into a concrete light pole. The allegations are just the latest in a string of high-profile charges brought by Orange County DA Todd Spitzer, who has become the face of nationwide crackdowns on unsafe and unlawful e-bicycle and e-motorcycle riding.

Read more Storm to bring snow to high peaks in the Sierra Nevada

In May, the underage Nguyen was alleged to have been going roughly 35 mph along Magnolia Street in Garden Grove when his E-Ride Pro SS 2.0 e-moto collided with a raised center divider, causing Nguyen to be tossed from the vehicle and into a light pole. Shortly after, Nguyen was pronounced dead at the UC Irvine Medical Center.

The E-Ride Pro SS 2.0 that officials say Nguyen was riding during the late evening crash is capable of reaching 55 mph or more and has a retail price north of $4,000. The vehicle, which is not an e-bike, has no pedal assist and is classified as a motorcycle under California vehicle code law, per the district attorney’s office, meaning a rider would need to have a valid motorcycle license and be at least 16 years of age.

Per a news release from the district attorney’s office, the father, 56-year-old Vu Thanh Nguyen, has been charged with a felony county of child endangerment, as well as a misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor; the mother, 49-year-old Hong Cuc Thi Nguyen, has been charged with a misdemeanor count of child endangerment. The child’s fatherfaces up to six years in state prison if convicted on all counts.

In March, an Orange County father was given a felony charge over his 12-year-old son’s 60 mph e-motorcycle crash in Yorba Linda, which resulted in the child fracturing his skull. In May, Spitzer’s office created the “RIDE SAFELY” task force to crack down on e-bike and e-motorcycle incidents in Orange County and to charge parents that the unit says knowingly allowed unsafe and unlawful behavior to continue.

Read more A California man claimed ICE took his wife. He’s now charged with her murder.

The unit said the underage Nguyen had routinely posted exploits on his e-motorcycle, including wheelies, to social media. “But grief does not erase the decisions that were made by Benson’s parents to continue to allow their untrained and unlicensed 13-year-old to illegally ride an E-Moto after repeated warnings and repeated injuries,” Spitzer is quoted as saying in the release, “and grief does not erase the need for accountability.”

Multiple recent studies have shown a sharp rise in e-bike, e-moto and e-scooter injuries, particularly among children. Earlier this month, researchers from the Jackie and Gene Autry Orthopedic Center at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles found a 675% jump in injuries among children and young adults in just five years.