Orange County charged Vu Thanh Nguyen and Hong Cuc Thi Nguyen after their child died in a Garden Grove e-motorcycle crash.

These counts are about what prosecutors say the parents allowed a 13-year-old to ride. They are not a finding that either parent caused the crash. The district attorney's release puts the crash on May 7 and cites a Life360 reading of 43 mph. NBC Los Angeles, citing police, puts it on May 11 and reports both 40 mph and 43 mph. Patch says the charges were filed Thursday and that he crashed into a vehicle. The release the other outlets quote does not describe a second vehicle. Arraignment is Nov. 12.

The Orange County District Attorney's Office announced Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, that Vu Thanh Nguyen, 56, and Hong Cuc Thi Nguyen, 49, both of Santa Ana, have been charged after the death of their child, a 13-year-old, ABC7, the Los Angeles Times, CBS Los Angeles and NBC Los Angeles reported. The office's release, case number 26WF4151, says the father is charged with one felony count of child endangerment and one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and the mother with one misdemeanor count of child endangerment. If convicted on all counts, he faces up to six years in state prison and she faces up to one year in county jail, the release says. Patch, citing City News Service, reported the charges were filed Thursday and described the mother's count as misdemeanor child abuse and endangerment. The Los Angeles Times reported the office announced the charges Tuesday and that the paper could not determine whether a lawyer represents them. The Times and Patch reported arraignment is set for Nov. 12.

The release says that on May 7, 2026, just before 10 p.m., the child was seen speeding, running red lights and doing wheelies on an E-Ride Pro SS 2.0 on Magnolia Street near Larson Avenue in Garden Grove, then lost control, hit a raised center divider, was ejected and struck a concrete light pole. It says a Life360 app showed 43 mph at the moment he lost control, and that the bike can reach 40 mph in Eco mode and 62 mph in Sport mode. He was taken to UCI Medical Center, where he died, the release says. CBS Los Angeles and Patch also used May 7. ABC7 reported he died in May after going more than 40 mph and hitting a light pole, and did not give the day. NBC Los Angeles reported the district attorney's office said he was traveling at 40 mph, and also reported the office said he was at 43 mph when he was ejected. NBC Los Angeles, citing police, reported the crash was before 10 p.m. on May 11 and that he hit the center median. The Los Angeles Times reported earlier accounts had him at about 35 mph. Patch reported he crashed into a vehicle, attributing that to the district attorney's office. The release quoted by ABC7, CBS Los Angeles and the Times describes the divider and the light pole.

The contributing count is about a purchase, the release says. It says the father bought a faster and more powerful E-Moto after multiple warnings about reckless riding, and after the child was repeatedly injured on a different electric vehicle, including a broken leg six months before he died. ABC7, CBS Los Angeles and NBC Los Angeles reported that same account. Garden Grove police told ABC7 the machine was not street legal and was not an e-bike, because it had no pedals and was closer to an off-road dirt bike. The release says the E-Ride Pro SS 2.0 is classified as a motor-driven cycle or a motorcycle, and that street use requires a motorcycle license, DMV registration, a plate, insurance and motorcycle equipment. CBS Los Angeles reported the same classification. Prosecutors also said he had posted riding videos, CBS Los Angeles and Patch reported. Those are allegations in a charging announcement.

Spitzer said in the release, "The loss of a child is a price no parent should pay," and said the office mourns the death of the 13-year-old along with everyone who loved the child. He said grief does not erase the decision to let an unlicensed 13-year-old keep riding after warnings and injuries. He also said that when a refusal to hold a child accountable ends in a death, he will charge the parents. The office said e-bike and e-moto injuries are now the leading reason children in Orange County go to an emergency room, and that those injuries in Southern California have risen more than 430 percent in four years, the Los Angeles Times and NBC Los Angeles reported. The release said the office opened an e-bike and e-moto review unit in May to look at charges against juveniles and adults, including parents. A charging announcement is the prosecution's account of the riding and of what the parents are accused of allowing. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.