The parents of a 13-year-old boy who died in a high-speed electric motorcycle crash are facing criminal charges after prosecutors alleged they allowed him to ride a powerful vehicle he was too young to operate legally.
Benson Nguyen, from Santa Ana, California, was killed in May when he crashed an E-Ride Pro SS 2.0 electric motorcycle in Garden Grove.
His father could face years in prison, while prosecutors accuse both parents of negligently allowing their son to ride a machine that required him to be older and licensed under California law.
The fatal collision occurred late one evening on Magnolia Street. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office said Benson was travelling at approximately 35mph when the motorcycle struck a raised central divider.
The impact allegedly threw the teenager from the motorcycle and into a concrete light pole.
Benson was taken to UC Irvine Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The E-Ride Pro SS 2.0 is far more powerful than a conventional electric bicycle. The motorcycle costs more than $4,000 and can reach speeds of at least 55mph.
According to prosecutors, it has no pedal-assist system and is classified as a motorcycle under California law.
The parents of 13-year-old Benson Nguyen (pictured), who died in a high-speed electric motorcycle crash, are facing criminal charges in a case prosecutors say highlights the dangers of young people riding powerful electric motorcycles in California
His father, Vu Thanh Nguyen, 56, has been charged with felony child endangerment and misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor. His mother, Hong Cuc Thi Nguyen, 49, faces a misdemeanor child-endangerment charge. If convicted on every count, Benson’s father could receive up to six years in state prison
Prosecutors allege Benson regularly posted videos of himself riding the electric motorcycle on social media, including clips showing him performing wheelies. The district attorney’s office also claims his parents allowed him to keep riding despite repeated warnings and earlier injuries.
Under the requirements cited by the district attorney’s office, riders must be at least 16 years old and hold a valid motorcycle license. Benson was just 13.
Hong Cuc Thi Nguyen, 49, faces a misdemeanor charge of child endangerment. Vu Thanh Nguyen, 56, has been charged with felony child endangerment as well as misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
If convicted on all charges, Benson’s father could spend up to six years in state prison. Prosecutors, however, allege that the fatal crash followed a series of warnings about his son’s riding.
The district attorney’s office said Benson had repeatedly displayed his riding on social media, including videos in which he performed wheelies on the electric motorcycle.
Officials further allege that his parents permitted him to continue riding despite repeated warnings and previous injuries.
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Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer has made tackling dangerous electric bike and motorcycle use a priority. Announcing the charges, he issued a forceful statement about parental responsibility and accountability.
Spitzer said the family’s grief did not erase the decisions prosecutors allege Benson’s parents made or eliminate the need for accountability.
‘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,’ he said.
He reiterated that while the family was grieving, the circumstances surrounding the crash still required accountability.
Announcing the charges, Spitzer said the family’s grief did not erase the alleged decisions that allowed Benson to continue riding
The crackdown comes amid growing concern over the popularity of powerful electric two-wheelers among children and teenagers. Some models resemble bicycles but can reach motorcycle-like speeds
The case is the latest in Spitzer’s frontline campaign to hold parents criminally responsible when they allegedly allow underage children to ride powerful electric vehicles illegally.
In March, another Orange County father was hit with a felony charge after his 12-year-old son suffered a fractured skull in a crash involving an electric motorcycle reportedly travelling at 60mph in Yorba Linda.
Then, in May, Spitzer’s office launched its RIDE SAFELY task force, targeting dangerous e-bike and e-motorcycle incidents and investigating parents suspected of knowingly allowing unlawful or unsafe riding.
The crackdown comes as increasingly powerful electric two-wheelers become a familiar sight among children and teenagers.
Some look like bicycles but deliver the speed and acceleration of motorcycles, leaving parents facing difficult questions about what their children are riding – and whether they understand the rules.
The injury figures are also raising alarm.
Earlier this month, researchers at the Jackie and Gene Autry Orthopedic Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles reported a staggering 675 per cent increase in injuries among children and young adults involving e-bikes, electric motorcycles and e-scooters over five years.
The findings add to growing concerns about young, inexperienced riders operating machines capable of reaching speeds that leave little room for error.
For Benson’s family, the criminal case follows an unimaginable loss and for prosecutors, it is part of a broader effort to stop other families from experiencing the same tragedy.