MANDAN, N.D. — Two 19-year-old men made their initial court appearances Monday afternoon in connection with a high-speed crash that killed two teenagers in Mandan. Investigators reported that street racing and speeds approaching 90 miles per hour led to the collision that claimed the lives of two Mandan high school students earlier in October.
Nineteen-year-olds Cameron Schestler and Sidney Seidel appeared via Zoom in a Burleigh County courtroom to face multiple felony charges. A judge set bond for both men Monday and imposed various restrictions during the proceedings.
According to court documents, Schestler and Seidel were operating separate vehicles, racing westbound on Main Avenue West, on Friday, October 2. Crash analysis and surveillance video show both drivers traveling significantly over the speed limit and using the median to pass other vehicles, according to police. Police confirmed that Schestler’s Infiniti sedan collided with a Chevy Equinox that was turning onto Center Street, at an approximate speed of 88 miles per hour. The impact resulted in the deaths of the two passengers in the Equinox: 16-year-old Taylor Fisher and 17-year-old Benjamin Moch. Both Fisher and Moch were students at Mandan high school. The 15-year-old driver of the Equinox survived the crash.
Schestler's vehicle came to rest in a car dealership’s parking lot following the collision, and he sustained serious injuries. Seidel and a passenger in his vehicle stopped at the scene to provide assistance. Police also noted that Seidel was traveling with a 4-month-old baby in the back seat of his vehicle.
Prosecutors in court revealed that both drivers had received recent high-speed citations in Bismarck. Less than a month before the fatal crash, Schestler was cited for driving 25 miles per hour over the speed limit. Prosecutors also stated that Seidel had been pulled over for driving up to 35 miles per hour over the limit just one day prior to the deadly collision.
Schestler is charged with two counts of manslaughter, along with reckless endangerment and aggravated reckless driving. Due to the victims being minors, the manslaughter charges carry a mandatory minimum requirement to serve 85% of any sentence without parole, and also require registration as an offender against children. His bond was set at $100,000 cash.
Prosecutors requested the same $100,000 bond amount for Seidel. However, Seidel’s defense argued that he is employed full-time, has established local ties, and voluntarily reported to Bismarck police detectives. The judge ultimately set Seidel’s bond at $20,000 cash. Seidel faces charges of reckless endangerment, child neglect, and reckless driving.
Both men are restricted to Burleigh and Morton counties under pretrial supervision. The court also issued orders for them to have zero contact with the victims’ families or the surviving 15-year-old driver. Additionally, Seidel is barred from contacting his infant child unless specifically permitted by the Burleigh County Human Service Zone.