A Southern California mother has been arrested and charged after her teenage son allegedly hit and seriously injured an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran while riding an e-motorcycle, prosecutors said.
Tammy Jo Major, 50, was charged with one felony count of child endangerment after the fact of a crime and one felony count of accessory after the fact, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement April 22. He was charged with multiple misdemeanors, including contributing to the delinquency of a minor, providing a vehicle peace, and providing false vehicle information. official
Major was arrested April 21 by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, prosecutors said. He faces a maximum sentence of six years and eight months in state prison if convicted of all charges.
Prosecutors allege Major continued to illegally ride his 14-year-old son on the e-motorcycle despite receiving repeated warnings of the dangers. In a separate news release, the sheriff’s department said deputies responded to a pedestrian report of what was initially believed to be an e-bike on April 16 in Lake Forest, California, an affluent town in Orange County.
Deputies then found a victim with life-threatening injuries, according to the Sheriff’s Department. The victim was taken to a hospital and remained hospitalized in critical condition as of April 22, prosecutors said.
“This 81-year-old man survived a flight combat mission defending freedom in Vietnam and is now hanging on to life because a mother refused to parent her child and ran down the road in a vehicle that should never have been on the road,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement.
“There’s no reason for an unlicensed, untrained kid with no concept of the rules of the road to ride a motorcycle that can go nearly 60 mph next to cars on a public road and think by some miracle they’re going to be safe,” Spitzer added.
Officials: E-motorcycle designed for off-highway use
Deputies were called to the scene, which borders El Toro High School, just before 4 p.m. local time on April 16, the Sheriff’s Department said. Both prosecutors and the sheriff’s department said the teenager fled the scene but witnesses provided descriptions of the suspect, who was “suspected of reckless driving at the time of the crash.”
Deputies later determined that the e-bike was actually an e-motorcycle designed for off-highway use, according to the sheriff’s department.
Further investigation revealed that the victim, who was later identified as an 81-year-old substitute teacher and captain in the United States Marine Corps who flew combat missions in Vietnam, was wheeling an e-motorcycle in the middle of the road when he was struck by the teenager, according to prosecutors.
The suspect was quickly identified, and a search warrant was served at a nearby residence. Hours after the incident, prosecutors said Major was captured on body-worn camera footage repeatedly telling deputies that he and his son did not own or have access to the e-motorcycle involved in the crash.
The sheriff’s department said a juvenile, who has not been publicly identified, was also arrested and booked into Orange County Juvenile Hall on charges related to the incident.
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Prosecutors: The teen’s mother previously admitted to buying her son an e-motorcycle
Before the crash, prosecutors said Major called the sheriff’s department in June 2025 “to complain that someone was posting pictures of her then-13-year-old son riding an e-motorcycle.”
During a nearly 28-minute conversation with two deputies captured on body-worn camera footage, prosecutors said Major admitted he bought his son an e-motorcycle and “knew he was driving recklessly.” At the time, deputies warned Major that she could face possible criminal charges if she continued to let her son ride the e-motorcycle.
“Riders of Class 3 e-motorcycles must be 16 years of age and have a motorcycle license,” prosecutors said, adding that the model of e-motorcycle involved in the crash requires a valid motorcycle license, DMV registration, license plate, insurance, and full motorcycle equipment for road operation.
Prosecutors noted that the e-motorcycle model is “marketed as an off-road e-motorcycle.” The e-motorcycle can reach speeds of up to 58 miles per hour and is “16 times more powerful than an e-bike is legally allowed to be,” according to prosecutors.
“Parents who buy and illegally allow their children to ride an e-motorcycle or help them convert an e-bike into an e-motorcycle are giving their children a loaded weapon — and those parents will be prosecuted. That’s not a threat. That’s a promise,” Spitzer warned in his statement.
The growing risk of micromobility vehicles
Electric scooters, bikes, hoverboards, and motorcycles have grown in popularity across the United States for recreational and daily transportation, from short-distance trips to sightseeing. But that increase has led to a sharp increase in injuries, often to riders and sometimes to bystanders.
A 2023 report by the Consumer Product Safety Commission revealed that from 2017 – when the devices were first introduced at scale – to 2022, the United States recorded 360,800 emergency room visits related to e-bikes, e-scooters and hoverboards, collectively known as micromobility vehicles.
Of those visits, 169,300 were connected to scooters, or 47%. By comparison, ER trips resulting from e-bike accidents totaled 53,200, or less than 15%.
The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), the world’s largest medical association for musculoskeletal specialists, warned in 2025 that data showed “an increase in the tracking of bone and joint injuries with the increasing popularity” of these vehicles.
AAOS urges riders to research and understand the physical risks of micromobility vehicles before riding them on roads and trails. Health officials have noted that e-bikes, like other micromobility vehicles, reach higher speeds than conventional vehicles and consequently exert more force during falls or collisions.
“This high-energy impact is causing injuries that we don’t typically see in traditional bicycle falls,” AAOS spokesman and orthopedic surgeon Brian Waterman said in a statement. “As e-bike use increases, so does the risk of fractures, dislocations and head injuries. The best safety starts with awareness, proper protection and responsible riding.”
Contributing: Jorge L. Ortiz, USA Today
This article originally appeared in USA TODAY: Teen charged with assault on e-motorcycle. His mother faces charges
