09/14/2026
Orange County bought back safety.
With the first-of-its-kind E-bike and E-motorcycle Buy Back Event in the nation, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office yesterday helped families from across Southern California buy back their safety – and prevent more people from being hurt or killed.
The first person in line showed up at midnight and the E-Bikes, E-Scooters, and E-Motos just kept rolling in.
Nearly 1,000 E-Bikes, E-Motos, E-Scooters, and pocket bikes were surrendered at Angel Stadium as the lines snaked around the parking lot. That means nearly 1,000 fewer opportunities for a child to be seriously injured or killed on our streets.
The first E-Bike to be turned in belonged to Jesse Hayes, who was 18 when he was critically injured in an E-Bike crash. He suffered a traumatic brain injury and spent three months on life support. Two years later, he continues to live with the physical and mental impacts of his injuries. He’s speaking out to warn other young people about the dangers of E-Bike riding – and the lifelong consequences.
“I want people to know these crashes happen a lot more than people think, and how horrible they are,” Hayes said.
From Tallaria E-Motos to E-Skateboards, exchange participants received up to $1,000 in gift cards until the funds (paid by asset forfeiture monies seized from criminals) ran out 2 hours and 15 minutes into the event. Hundreds more voluntarily turned in their E-Bikes and other vehicles. The first 75 people also received two tickets to a Los Angeles Angels game.
You can’t put a price on a child’s safety, but the overflow crowds that showed up showed that Orange County is prioritizing safety. It took NINE 26-foot U-HAUL truckloads to haul away the surrendered E-Bikes, E-Motos, pocket bikes, and E-Scooters.
Thank you to everyone who showed up and braved the heat and the long lines – and thank you to Jesse Hayes, and his mom Kasey, for sharing their story, thank you to our law enforcement partners, our trauma centers, our firefighters, ambulance crews, our educators, OC Supervisor Katrina Foley who helped make this event happen – and for helping get the word out.
Thank you, Orange County, for showing up and letting us buy back your family’s safety.
