MANDAN, N.D. — Two men accused in connection with a high-speed crash that killed two teenagers made their initial court appearances Monday afternoon. Investigators have stated that street racing and speeds reaching nearly 90 miles an hour led to the fatal collision, which occurred earlier this month and claimed the lives of two Mandan high school students.
Nineteen-year-olds Cameron Schestler and Sidney Seidel appeared via Zoom in a Burleigh County courtroom, where a judge set their bond and imposed other restrictions. Both men are facing multiple felony charges following the crash on Friday, Oct. 2.
Court documents indicate that Schestler and Seidel were in separate vehicles, allegedly racing westbound down Main Avenue West. Crash analysis and surveillance video show both drivers were operating their vehicles significantly over the speed limit and using the median to pass other drivers. Police reported that Schestler’s Infiniti struck a Chevy Equinox that was turning onto Center Street at approximately 88 miles an hour. The impact of the collision resulted in the deaths of the two passengers in the Equinox: 16-year-old Taylor Fisher and 17-year-old Benjamin Moch. The 15-year-old driver of the Equinox survived the crash. Schestler’s vehicle ultimately came to rest in a nearby car dealership’s parking lot, and he sustained serious injuries.
Following the crash, Seidel and his passenger stopped at the scene to offer assistance. Authorities noted that Seidel also had a 4-month-old baby in the back seat of his vehicle at the time of the incident.
During the court proceedings, prosecutors revealed that both drivers had received recent high-speed citations in Bismarck. Schestler had been cited for driving 25 miles an hour over the limit less than a month before the fatal crash. Seidel, according to prosecutors, had been pulled over for driving up to 35 miles an hour over the limit just one day prior to the collision.
Cameron Schestler is charged with two counts of manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and aggravated reckless driving. Due to the victims being minors, the manslaughter charges carry specific legal consequences, including a mandatory minimum requirement to serve 85% of any sentence without parole and to register as an offender against children. His bond was set at $100,000 in cash.
Sidney Seidel is charged with reckless endangerment, child neglect, and reckless driving. Prosecutors requested the same $100,000 bond amount for Seidel, but his defense argued for a lower amount, citing his full-time employment, local ties, and voluntary report to Bismarck police detectives. The judge subsequently set Seidel’s bond at $20,000 cash.
Both men are subject to pretrial supervision and are restricted to Burleigh and Morton counties. The court has also issued orders prohibiting them from having any contact with the victims’ families or the surviving 15-year-old driver. Additionally, Seidel is barred from contacting his infant child unless explicitly permitted by the Burleigh County Human Service Zone.
