A Newport Beach resident says a group of e-bike riders knocked him to the ground on a sidewalk near his home. The incident highlights enforcement challenges eight months after the city's e-bike safety ordinance took effect.

John Szabo, a journalist who has written for the Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle, described the incident in an opinion piece published Sept. 7 in Voice of OC. He said roughly seven riders knocked him down while he was walking his dog. Szabo identified the riders as Corona del Mar High students based on school insignia on their backpacks.

"What happened next disturbed me more than being hit," Szabo wrote. "They looked back, saw me on the ground and laughed at and mocked me. One rider even circled back and performed a wheelie near me before rejoining the group and riding away."

Szabo said he was treated at urgent care for a minor left shoulder injury. The exact date of the incident was not specified.

The behaviors Szabo described are specifically prohibited under Newport Beach Municipal Code 12.56.060, which took effect in January 2026. The city's ordinance requires e-bike riders to yield to pedestrians, travel at reasonable speeds and use bike lanes where posted. It also bans wheelies, weaving through pedestrians and distracted riding.

Riders under 18 must wear helmets. Violations can result in citations, fines and possible impoundment of the e-bike. First-time juvenile offenders may qualify for the city's E-Bike Diversion Program, which focuses on education and safe riding practices. Successful completion may result in dismissal of the citation.

The Newport Beach Police Department has not publicly commented on Szabo's account. It is unclear whether the incident was reported to police.

E-bike injuries climbing statewide

The sidewalk incident comes as e-bike injuries climb across California. A 2026 UC San Diego study published in the journal Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open found that reported e-bike injury collisions in California rose from two in 2018 to 1,566 in 2024, according to the Los Angeles Times. The study analyzed 4,035 e-bike collisions over seven years using California Highway Patrol data.

Children are disproportionately affected. The study found 15.8% of injured e-bike riders were 14 or younger, compared to 10.2% for traditional bicycles. E-bike riders were also more likely to suffer moderate-to-severe injuries and to be at fault in collisions.

Lake Forest e-motorcycle crash turned fatal

Ed Ashman, 81, a retired Marine Corps captain and Vietnam veteran, was struck April 16 near El Toro High in Lake Forest by a 14-year-old riding a Surron Ultra Bee e-motorcycle while performing wheelies, Fox LA reported. Ashman died roughly two weeks later.

The vehicle can reach 58 mph and is classified as a motorcycle under California law. The rider's mother, Tommi Jo Mejer, 50, of Aliso Viejo, was charged with felony involuntary manslaughter and other counts. She faces up to seven years and eight months in prison if convicted, according to KTLA.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said his office has filed child endangerment charges against three parents since January 2026 for allowing children to illegally ride e-motorcycles, following similar cases in Yorba Linda and Huntington Beach, NBC Los Angeles reported.

Local enforcement efforts

The NBPD's e-bike education program reached more than 7,500 community members between 2021 and 2023 with presentations at schools, PTAs and homeowners associations. Those included sessions at Corona del Mar High and Corona del Mar Middle School.

Motor officers routinely patrol areas near schools and the Balboa Peninsula boardwalk for e-bike violations, and the department applies for state grant funds for bicycle and pedestrian safety.

Two state bills that would have imposed stricter e-bike regulations failed in 2026. AB 1942 would have required DMV registration for certain e-bikes, and AB 1557 would have reduced their maximum assisted speed.

Residents who witness unsafe e-bike riding can report it to the Newport Beach Police Department's non-emergency line.