By: Grace Cai

Fourteen-year-old Owen Harris was struck in an e-bike crash in Pacific Beach on September 12, 2026, around 9:20pm. Owen was on Olney Street and entered the intersection at Balboa Avenue against a red traffic light. He was struck by a 2023 Tesla Model 3 driven by a 38-year-old man. Harris was then transported to a hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Owen was an eighth-grade student at Pacific Beach Middle School. Following his death, his classmates wore pink in honor of his famous pink e-bike. His favorite color, pink, became a way for people to remember him. His desk was left empty and students wrote notes in his memories. Roadside memorials of flowers, candles, and messages were placed at the intersection where the incident occurred. A memorial ride was later held at Mount Soledad, bringing his friends and riders across San Diego County together. Many participants wore pink in recognition of Owen’s pink e-bike, turning the color into a symbol of remembrance.

Owen’s death affected not only his classmates but also the broader Pacific Beach community. His friends remember him as someone who had a strong impact on those around him. One of his close friends, Travis Maher, said that although they were not related by blood, Owen was “kind of like a brother” to him.

The tragedy sparked local discussions about e-bike safety and led to safety campaigns from groups like the San Diego Country Bicycle Coalition regarding youth e-bike safety and adherence to traffic laws. The event raised concerns about e-bike safety, specifically among the youth operating powerful e-bikes at high speeds without adequate traffic awareness or the ability to follow traffic laws. It also drew attention to the risks associated with nighttime riding as the crash occurred after 9 p.m.

Similar concerns exist in our own neighborhood. In 2024, an 18-year-old e-bike rider was struck in a hit-and-run near Canyon Crest Academy. Several parents and students in the area are concerned about both the possibility of drivers hitting students who ride e-bikes and the dangers posed by e-bike riders to pedestrians and others around them. Canyon Crest Academy students have also noted personal e-bike encounters.

For Mia McGonegle (11), a student who drives to and from school, the unpredictability of e-bikers have created stressful situations on the road. She described an encounter with an e-biker while driving home: “Startled, I hit the brakes and attempted to pass, but the cyclist occupied the majority of the road. When I tried to pass, an oncoming car nearly hit me. I attempted to pass again, but the e-biker accelerated. I had to follow the e-biker until he reached a stop sign.”

Pedestrians are not exempt from the dangers of e-bikers. Jennifer Peng (11) described an incident where an e-bike suddenly appeared in her path while she was walking home: “One day I was walking home and like there was a tree so it was blocking my view and then as I’m walking forward, an e-bike comes out of the corner and runs me over. I got a big green bruise on my leg.”

The experiences of McGonegle and Peng reflect the concerns of many pedestrians, drivers, and other members of the community. Along with incidents involving riders such as Harris, these tragedies emphasize the importance of awareness when sharing the road. High speeds, limited visibility, and unexpected movements can create dangerous situations for everyone on the road. Obeying traffic laws and remaining aware of one’s surroundings is essential for both e-bike riders and everyone else’s safety.