SoCal boy dies in e-motorcycle crash. Parents charged with endangerment

Paris Barraza, USA TODAYWed, October 21, 2026 at 5:14 PM UTC

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The parents of a teenage boy who died after losing control of his electric motorcycle have been charged with child endangerment, officials announced on Oct. 20. It’s the latest case of a Southern California prosecutor holding parents responsible for allowing children to use e-motorcycles as emergency rooms see a spike in injuries related to a different kind of vehicle — e-bikes.

A 13-year-old boy allegedly was seen speeding, running red lights, and doing wheelies on an e-motorcycle before he lost control in Garden Grove on May 7, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. He crashed into the raised center divider, was ejected from his motorcycle, and collided with a concrete pole. He died at UCI Medical Center, according to the district attorney’s office.

The teen’s father was also charged with “contributing to delinquency of a minor for buying his son a faster and more powerful E-Moto despite multiple warnings about his son’s reckless riding” and because “his son was repeatedly injured while riding a different electric vehicle.” The district attorney’s office said the boy broke his leg six months prior to his death.

The teenager was riding an E-Ride Pro SS 2.0 E-Moto, which the brand says can reach 55 miles per hour. His Life360 app, a location-sharing app, showed he was traveling at 43 miles per hour when he lost control of the e-motorcycle, according to the district attorney’s office.

The boy’s father faces a maximum sentence of six years in state prison if he’s convicted on all charges, and the mother faces a maximum sentence of one year in county jail if she’s convicted.

Orange County DA charges other parents in e-moto cases

The district attorney’s office said it has filed child endangerment and related charges against 10 parents for allowing their children to illegally ride e-motorcycles since January.

Todd Spitzer, the district attorney, announced earlier this year a new "e-bike/e-moto unit" to "review all potential criminal charges against juveniles and adults, including parents who knowingly allow their children to illegally ride E-Motos and E-Bikes."

The Children’s Hospital of Orange County said e-bike injuries are the No. 1 reason for emergency department trauma visits. National research led by Rady Children’s Health Orange County — the name CHOC is transitioning to — found that the frequency of e-bike injuries among minors spiked from 4.18% in 2019 to 49.8% in 2023.

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Reports of injuries and deaths involving e-bikes have surfaced across California all year, including in Orange County. At the end of July, a 21-year-old man died after he lost control of the e-bike, according to a preliminary investigation, the Huntington Beach Police Department said.

E-bikes were involved in at least three deaths in 2024 and 2025, according to the Riverside County Coroner. The neighboring county said emergency room visits for e-bike-related accidents more than doubled from 494 in 2024 to 958 in 2025.

The district attorney's office announced these latest charges more than a month after holding its first e-bike and e-motorcycle buyback event, offering residents gift cards and sporting tickets in exchange for these vehicles to cut down on injuries and deaths.

What is the difference between an e-bike and e-moto?

The e-moto the boy was riding requires a valid motorcycle license for street operation, as well as a DMV registration, license plate, insurance, and full motorcycle equipment, the district attorney’s office said.

The California Highway Patrol defines an electric motorcycle as a two-wheeled motorcycle designed primarily for off-highway operation, powered by an electric motor, with handlebars for street control, a straddle seat provided by the manufacturer, and no pedals from the manufacturer.

It differs from an electric bicycle, which has fully operable pedals, CHP said.

A bill signed into law earlier this year says e-motorcycles aren’t e-bikes because of their excessive speed and power, yet they're designed and marketed as e-bikes to children on social media. State Sen. Catherine S. Blakespear's bill said that last year, nearly 90% of electric devices observed at local school bike racks in San Mateo and Marin counties were e-motorcycles, not electric bicycles.

Paris Barraza is a reporter covering Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at pbarraza@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SoCal boy dies in e-motorcycle crash. Parents charged with endangerment

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