Two men charged in connection with a high-speed crash in Bismarck that killed two Mandan teenagers just over two weeks ago made their initial court appearances Monday afternoon in a Burleigh County courtroom. A judge set bond for 19-year-olds Cameron Schestler and Sidney Seidel, who investigators say were street racing when the collision occurred.
According to court documents and police statements, the crash happened Friday, Oct. 2, as Schestler and Seidel were allegedly racing westbound down Main Avenue West. Crash analysis and surveillance video show both drivers traveling well over the speed limit and using the median to pass other vehicles. Police reported that Schestler’s Infiniti slammed into a Chevy Equinox turning onto Center Street, traveling at roughly 88 miles an hour.
The impact killed 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 collision. Schestler’s vehicle came to rest in a car dealership’s parking lot, and he suffered serious injuries. Seidel and his passenger stopped at the scene to provide assistance. Police also noted that Seidel had a four-month-old baby in the back seat of his vehicle at the time.
Schestler and Seidel appeared via Zoom for their court appearances. Schestler faces charges of two counts of manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and aggravated reckless driving. Prosecutors stated that because the victims were minors, the manslaughter charges carry a mandatory minimum of serving 85 percent of any sentence without parole, along with registering as an offender against children. The judge set Schestler’s bond at $100,000 cash.
Seidel is charged with reckless endangerment, child neglect, and reckless driving. Prosecutors requested the same $100,000 cash bond for Seidel. However, his defense argued that Seidel works full-time, has established local ties, and voluntarily reported to Bismarck Police detectives. The judge set Seidel’s bond at $20,000 cash.
Prosecutors also revealed in court that both drivers had received recent high-speed citations in Bismarck. Schestler was cited for driving 25 miles an hour over the limit less than a month before the Oct. 2 collision. Seidel, according to prosecutors, had been pulled over for driving up to 35 miles an hour over the limit just one day before the fatal crash.
Under pre-trial supervision, both Schestler and Seidel are restricted to Burleigh and Morton counties. They have also been ordered to have zero contact with the victims’ families or with the surviving 15-year-old driver. Additionally, Seidel is barred from contacting his infant child unless specific permission is granted by the Burleigh County Human Service Zone.
