Loved ones are mourning a 13-year-old boy who was killed after crashing his electric motorcycle in Orange County.
He was identified by friends as Benson Nguyen, 13, of Santa Ana, and was a student at an Irvine middle school.
On May 7, Garden Grove police responded to the intersection of Magnolia Avenue and Larson Street in Garden Grove just before 10 p.m.
The boy had crashed into the center median and was found unresponsive at the scene. Eduardo Avalos had spotted the boy moments after the crash and said he was struggling to breathe.
A 13-year-old boy was killed after losing control of an electric motorcycle and crashing into a center median in Garden Grove on May 7, 2026. (Garden Grove Police Department)
Loved ones create a makeshift memorial at the scene where a 13-year-old boy riding an electric motorcycle was killed after crashing into a center median in Garden Grove on May 7, 2026. (KTLA)
Loved ones create a makeshift memorial at the scene where a 13-year-old boy riding an electric motorcycle was killed after crashing into a center median in Garden Grove on May 7, 2026. (KTLA)
A 13-year-old boy was killed after losing control of an electric motorcycle and crashing into a center median in Garden Grove on May 7, 2026. (Citizen)
Electric bikes are becoming a popular mode of transportation in Southern California. (KTLA)
A person rides his e-bike on the Strand in Hermosa Beach. In Hermosa Beach, it’s against city code to use electric power on the Strand, but many e-bike riders do so anyway. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
A boy rides his e-bike on the Strand in Hermosa Beach. In Hermosa Beach, it’s against city code to use electric power on the Strand, but many e-bike riders do so anyway. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Kids and teenagers riding electric bikes are becoming a popular mode of transportation in Southern California. (KTLA)
Kids and teenagers riding electric bikes are becoming a popular mode of transportation in Southern California. (KTLA)
People ride an e-bike on the Strand in Hermosa Beach. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Kids and teenagers riding electric bikes are becoming a popular mode of transportation in Southern California. (KTLA)
“The way he was gasping for air, I was holding him,” Avalos told KTLA’s Rachel Menitoff. “I took off his helmet and held his face because [the helmet strap] was choking him.”
The boy was taken to the hospital where he died from his injuries. Authorities said his e-motorcycle was not street legal and was meant for off-roading.
Police said he was traveling at about 35 mph when he crashed into the center median and was ejected from the motorcycle.
Avalos said that, following the deadly incident, he will no longer allow his children to ride a motorized bike. Many residents, especially parents of younger children and teens, expressed concerns over e-bicycle and e-motorcycle safety.
“The younger kids don’t pay attention to what they’re doing on an e-bike,” said Cliff Dunn, a Garden Grove resident. “When you don’t pay attention on an e-bike, this is what’s going to happen.”
The Garden Grove crash comes less than a month after a 14-year-old boy who was doing wheelies on an e-bike was accused of crashing into an 81-year-old man in Lake Forest. The elderly victim, who was a Vietnam veteran and substitute teacher, died from his injuries. The boy’s mother was charged with involuntary manslaughter, felony child endangerment and accessory after the fact.
In an April 25 incident, a 13-year-old boy who was riding a motorized bike in Simi Valley lost control at a train crossing and was struck and killed by a train.
On March 3, a Yorba Linda father was charged with felony child endangerment and abuse after allegedly gifting his 12-year-old son an e-bike that was modified to reach speeds up to 60 mph. The boy reportedly ran a red light while riding the bike and was hit by a car. He was left with multiple injuries including a concussion, intracranial bleeding, skull fracture, broken wrist, and fractured femur.
As the popularity of e-bikes continues to rise, trauma center doctors have noticed a troubling increase in crashes and injuries as well.
“The numbers are skyrocketing,” said Dr. Laura Goodman, pediatric surgeon and trauma medical director at Rady Children’s Health Orange County. “The number of e-bike traumas here has gone up 430% since 2022. There are so many severe injuries and fatalities as well; it seems to have reached epidemic proportions here.”
A boy rides his e-bike on the Strand in Hermosa Beach. In Hermosa Beach, it’s against city code to use electric power on the Strand, but many e-bike riders do so anyway. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Electric bikes are becoming a popular mode of transportation in Southern California. (KTLA)
A person rides his e-bike on the Strand in Hermosa Beach. In Hermosa Beach, it’s against city code to use electric power on the Strand, but many e-bike riders do so anyway. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Kids and teenagers riding electric bikes are becoming a popular mode of transportation in Southern California. (KTLA)
Kids and teenagers riding electric bikes are becoming a popular mode of transportation in Southern California. (KTLA)
People ride an e-bike on the Strand in Hermosa Beach. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
A roller blader hitches a ride on the back of an e-bike, while on the Strand in Hermosa Beach. In Hermosa Beach, it’s against city code to use electric power on the Strand, but many e-bike riders do so anyway. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
People ride their e-bikes on the Strand in Hermosa Beach.(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Kids and teenagers riding electric bikes are becoming a popular mode of transportation in Southern California. (KTLA)
Electric motorcycles are regulated differently from e-bikes in California. According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, anything designated as a “miniature vehicle” (such as a mini chopper or pocket bike) cannot be registered or operated on public streets because they do not meet federal safety standards.
Essentially, e-bikes that travel under 20 miles per hour typically have no age or license requirements, but bikes that can travel faster would require a motorcycle license, insurance and registration.
Beth Black, the founder of the Bellemont Project, an initiative dedicated to improving e-bike safety, said she is advocating for a minimum riding age of 14 on any electric bike.
She also believes that children or teens who are cited by police should participate in diversion programs that incorporate behavior management.
“It’s a scattered approach and it uses enforcement, which is reactive and a lot of us think it should be proactive as well,” Black said. “I do believe that we can be doing more to save lives.”
As for the 13-year-old boy killed in Garden Grove, the deadly collision remains under investigation. On Friday night, the boy’s friends and loved ones created a memorial at the crash site to honor him.
Anyone who may have witnessed the crash or has video of the incident is asked to call investigator Lang at 714-741-5823 or email mlang@ggcity.org.
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