Mother charged after teen son on E motorcycle collided with Vietnam veteran

An Orange County woman was charged with felonies after a Vietnam veteran was struck by her teen son who was riding an E motorcycle, prosecutors announced Wednesday.

Tommi Jo Mejer, of Aliso Viejo, was charged with felony child endangerment and felony accessory after the fact of a crime in connection with the April 16 collision in Lake Forest at Toledo Way and Ridge Route Drive, near El Toro High School. The victim was an 81-year-old substitute teacher and United States Marine Corps captain who flew combat missions in the Vietnam War, prosecutors said.

He suffered critical injuries when he was hit by the rider of a Surron E-motorcycle identified as Mejer’s 14-year-old son, authorities said, adding that the teen left the area. The son was later arrested after a search warrant was served at his home near the site of the collision.

The veteran remains in critical condition.

In June 2025, Mejer contacted the Orange County Sheriff’s Department about someone posting pictures of her son riding the E motorcycle. During the conversation captured on deputies’ body-worn cameras, the deputies warned her of potential criminal charges if he was allowed to ride the E motorcycle, prosecutors said.

Riders of Class 3 E-motorcycles must be 16 years of age and have a motorcycle license.

Mejer also was charged with one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, one misdemeanor count of loaning a motor vehicle to an unlicensed driver, and one misdemeanor count of providing false information to a peace officer. She faces a maximum sentence of six years and eight months in state prison, if convicted on all counts.

She was arrested Tuesday. It was not immediately clear whether she has an attorney who could speak on her behalf.

Since January, the OC DA’s office has filed child endangerment charges against three parents for allowing their children to illegally ride an E-motorcycle. The cases include a Yorba Linda man whose 12-year-old son was critically injured when he was hit by a vehicle after running a red light.

That E motorcycle had been modified to reach 60 mph.

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