By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-09-15 18:21:33 | Updated at 2026-09-15 19:12:45
1 hour ago
Speed appears to have been a key factor in the fiery Irvine supercar crash that killed a car influencer and the Hooters calendar girl he was seeing, according to cops.
James Wehr, 27, founder of San Clemente’s South OC Cars and Coffee, and Alexis “Lexi” Kramer, 22, of Lakeland, Florida, were identified by their families and members of the local car community as the victims of the crash.
The crash happened shortly after midnight Sunday near Culver Drive and Deerfield Avenue in Irvine, when the purple McLaren was stopped at a red light, according to police. When the light turned green, the vehicle accelerated at a high rate of speed before the driver apparently lost control.
The McLaren slammed into a tree, with the violent impact splitting the supercar apart and igniting a massive fire that killed both people inside.
“We believe that speed was a factor in this,” Ziggy Azarcon, a public information officer with the Irvine Police Department, told the California Post. “Our major accident investigation team still has to complete their full investigation.”
A witness told ABC7 that the McLaren appeared to be traveling at an extremely high rate of speed, with some witnesses estimating it may have been going as fast as 100 mph.
Investigators have not determined the vehicle’s actual speed, and the department’s major accident investigation team still has to complete its full probe.
The circumstances surrounding the fatal wreck remain under investigation. However, authorities confirmed that a female was seated in the passenger seat just before the collision.
Investigators have not determined exactly what caused the driver to lose control. The department warned that the investigation could take six months or more because of the level of detail involved in reconstructing the crash.
Wehr and Kramer had been talking on Instagram for about a month and met in person for the first time that weekend after Wehr reportedly paid for Kramer’s flight. They had dinner at Nobu and drinks at the Pendry Hotel before attending Wehr’s weekly car gathering, which draws thousands of enthusiasts.
Kramer, a bartender who had recently earned an associate’s degree from Polk State College, was also a 2026 Hooters calendar girl.
According to Kramer’s family, Wehr told her he was separating from his wife, Emma, and that a divorce was underway, though Orange County court records reviewed by The Post showed no divorce filings.
Authorities have not publicly released the victims’ names. Kramer’s family provided dental records to the medical examiner to help confirm her identity.
