7 Orange County parents charged with child endangerment in electric motorcycle incidents

Posted on 10/22/2026

7 Orange County parents charged with child endangerment in electric motorcycle incidents

Story Credit KTLA News by: Vivian Chow

Seven parents in Orange County who were accused of allowing their children to illegally ride electric motorcycles on public roads were charged with child endangerment.

The incidents that the children and teens were involved in ranged from leading authorities on pursuits and performing dangerous stunts to deadly crashes, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said.

The parents of Benson Nguyen, 13, were charged in connection with his death after the boy was killed in a crash in Garden Grove on May 7.

Prosecutors said the boy was seen speeding, running red lights and doing wheelies shortly before he lost control, crashed into a raised center divider and was ejected from his electric motorcycle before he collided with a concrete light pole.  

 

Benson Ngyuen 13, was killed after losing control of his electric motorcycle and crashing into a center median in Garden Grove

According to the DA’s Office, the boy’s Life360 app showed his E-Ride Pro SS 2.0 E-Moto was traveling at 43 miles per hour when he lost control and crashed. 

On Oct. 20, His father, Vu Thanh Nguyen, 56, of Santa Ana, was charged with one felony count of child endangerment and a misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. His mother, Hong Cuc Thi Nguyen, 49, of Santa Ana, was charged with one misdemeanor count of child endangerment. 

On Oct. 21, the DA’s Office announced that six more O.C. parents were charged with child endangerment in connection with their children illegally riding electric motorcycles.

People v. Alex Li  

On June 30, Alex Li’s 11-year-old son was riding an electric motorcycle in Yorba Linda when he collided with a pickup truck. The boy suffered broken bones and an arterial bleed.

Alex Li was charged with one misdemeanor count of child endangerment for allowing his 11-year-old son to illegally ride an E-Moto with a 1200-watt motor, which is in excess of the 750 watts limit for an E-Bike. If convicted, he faces up to one year in Orange County Jail.

People v. Maria Dolores Roehling

On May 23, Maria Dolores Roehling’s 9-year-old son was speeding on his electric motorcycle when he was hit by a pickup truck in Yorba Linda, prosecutors said.

The boy’s Instagram accounts reportedly showed him doing wheelies on residential streets and posting about a crash he had on the E-Moto just a few weeks before being hit by the pickup truck. 

Roehling was charged with one felony count of child endangerment and an infraction for allowing a child under the age of 18 to drive a motor vehicle without a license. If convicted, she faces up to six years in state prison.

People v. Dan Mircea Rezmives  

On March 22, a police officer saw Dan Rezmives’ 12-year-old son riding an electric motorcycle on a public street while Rezmives was riding a bicycle. 

The officer had previously warned Rezmives and his son that it was illegal to operate an E-Moto on city streets.

Rezmives was charged with one misdemeanor count of child endangerment, one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and an infraction for allowing a child under the age of 18 to drive a motor vehicle without a license. He faces up to one year in jail if convicted on all charges.

People v. Hulin Guo and Xiaomin Wang 

On May 9, Hulin Guo and Xiaomin Wang’s 17-year-old son led Newport Beach police on a pursuit while driving more than 40 miles an hour on his electric motorcycle.

During the chase, the teen dangerously maneuvered around pedestrians on sidewalks and at times drove the wrong way on public streets before the chase ended, police said.

“The couple had been warned repeatedly about their son’s reckless driving and the boy’s prior E-Moto had been impounded and sold,” prosecutors said.

In an incident on Sept. 23, 2023, an officer found the boy hiding in the bushes after he and other children riding E-Motos had ignored the officer’s commands to stop following reports of reckless riding. Police warned the boy’s mother that the motorcycle was illegal and dangerous.

On Halloween night in 2024, the boy was tackled off his E-Moto by an officer after he and another boy were riding recklessly and doing wheelies on residential streets filled with trick-or-treaters, the DA’s Office said.

Guo and Wang were each charged with one misdemeanor count of child endangerment, one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and an infraction for allowing a child under the age of 18 to drive a motor vehicle without a license. They both face up to one year in Orange County Jail if convicted on all charges.

People v. Tuan Nguyen  

On April 8, Tuan Nguyen’s 13-year-old son led Garden Grove police on a pursuit while speeding on his Surron Light Bee X electric motorcycle. The boy allegedly red lights and drove the wrong way into traffic after refusing to pull over, prosecutors said.

The pursuit ended when the boy crashed his bike into a police vehicle while trying to escape. 

Nguyen was charged with one misdemeanor count of child endangerment. He faces up to one year in Orange County Jail if convicted.

People v. Jose De Jesus Ramirezbarragan 

On May 27, Jose De Jesus Ramirezbarragan was accused of allowing his 15-year-old brother to ride his electric motorcycle. 

Ramirezbarragan was charged with one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. If convicted, he faces up to one year in Orange County Jail.

Loved ones created a makeshift memorial at the scene where Benson Nguyen, 13, was killed

“We don’t want to have to prosecute parents – we want to save kids’ lives,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “When parents refuse to parent and tell their kids ‘no’ when it comes to riding something that is dangerous and illegal, then I have no choice but to hold parents accountable and file criminal charges. 

According to the DA’s Office, E-Bike and E-Moto injuries are now the “number one reason children in Orange County end up in the emergency room, with injuries skyrocketing more than 430% in Southern California in just the last four years.”

Children between the ages of 11 and 14 account for 61.7% of electric motorcycle crashes even though children under the age of 16 are legally prohibited from riding E-Motos, according to the California Statewide Integrated Traffic Record System.

“Kids are getting seriously injured and killed and I refuse to allow another child to be hurt or killed because I didn’t do everything I could to send a message that these vehicles are not child’s play,” Spitzer said. “If you’re going to hand the keys to a deadly weapon to your child, then be prepared to face the consequences of your actions.”

Story Credit KTLA News by: Vivian Chow