Crime & Safety
Parents Of Teen Killed In E-Moto Crash Charged With Child Endangerment
The 13-year-old boy was speeding through red lights while doing wheelies on an e-motorcycle when the fatal crash happened, prosecutors say.
GARDEN GROVE, CA — The parents of a teen killed in an E-Moto accident in Garden Grove have been charged with child endangerment, prosecutors said Tuesday.
The victim's father — Vu Thanh Nguyen, 56, of Santa Ana — was charged Thursday with a felony count of child endangerment and a misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Hong Cuc Thi Nguyen, 49, of Santa Ana — the mother of Benson Nguyen, who was 13 when the fatal crash occurred — was charged Thursday with misdemeanor child abuse and endangerment.
Benson was speeding and flashing through red lights while doing wheelies on an E-Ride Pro SS 2.0 when he crashed into a vehicle on Magnolia Street near Larson Avenue at about 10 p.m. on May 7, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
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Benson slammed into a raised center divider and fell off the bike before slamming into a concrete light pole, prosecutors said. The teen was rushed to UCI Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.
Prosecutors say the teen's father bought his son the e-bike despite multiple warnings about Benson's reckless riding. Benson also suffered a broken leg in a crash six months before he was killed, prosecutors said.
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Prosecutors also pointed to multiple videos on the boy's TikTok and Instagram accounts of daredevil riding stunts.
Riders of the types of vehicles Benson used require a motorcycle license as well as required equipment, prosecutors said. State law draws a distinction between e-bikes and e-motorcycles when it comes to age and licensing requirements.
The parents are scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 12.
