James Wehr, the 27-year-old cofounder of the South OC Cars and Coffee meetup in San Clemente, was driving the 2019 McLaren that crashed in Irvine early Sunday, killing him and his passenger, 22-year-old Alexis“Lexi”Kramer, according to Irvine police. Investigators said Tuesday that evidence shows a female was in the passenger seat, not the driver’s seat, pushing back on online speculation about who was behind the wheel. The car struck a tree, split in two and caught fire.
Newport Beach police also confirmed that officers pulled Wehr over about five hours before the crash for a loud exhaust and issued him a warning. Wehr’s family confirmed his death on social media, and his wife of one year, Emma, shared a tribute. Kramer, a Hooters calendar model, had flown in from Florida to spend the weekend with Wehr, according to a relative who also said Wehr told her he was in the middle of a divorce.
The crash has shaken the Southern California car scene, where Wehr was a well-known figure. The investigation into the circumstances of the crash remains open, and questions about the gap between the traffic stop and the fatal wreck continue to circulate online.
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Local Lawton
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