{"id":464271,"date":"2026-09-15T08:14:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T08:14:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/464271\/"},"modified":"2026-09-15T08:14:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T08:14:20","slug":"second-victim-idd-in-fiery-crash-that-killed-beloved-california-car-influencer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/464271\/","title":{"rendered":"Second victim ID\u2019d in fiery crash that killed beloved California car influencer"},"content":{"rendered":"

A 22-year-old Florida woman has been identified as the second person killed in a fiery high-speed crash that split a 2019 McLaren into two pieces, claiming her life and that of a well-known Orange County car influencer.<\/p>\n

The single-vehicle crash was reported around 12:18 a.m. at Culver Drive and Deerfield Avenue in Irvine, according to the Irvine Police Department<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Officers and Orange County Fire Authority crews responded to the scene and found the vehicle engulfed in flames. After firefighters extinguished the fire, two people were found dead inside.<\/p>\n

Family members and friends identified James Wehr, 27, co-founder of South OC Cars & Coffee<\/a>, an event billed as “the world’s largest weekly car show,” as one of the victims in a social media post<\/a> just hours after the crash.<\/p>\n

\"Fatal<\/p>\n

Alexis Kramer, 22, a resident of Florida, was identified by family members as the second person in a deadly McLaren crash in Irvine on Sept. 13, 2026. (viewer image)<\/p>\n

\"California<\/p>\n

James Wehr, 27, cofounder of South OC Cars & Coffee was killed, along with another person after a 2019 McLaren they were in crashed, split in two and caught fire on Sept. 13, 2026. (Wehr)<\/p>\n

Family members have since identified the second victim as Alexis Kramer as the person in the McLaren with Wehr that night.<\/p>\n

Irvine Police Department Officer Ziggy Azarcon told KTLA that investigators believe speed was likely a factor in the crash.<\/p>\n

“We believe that speed was a factor in this,” Azarcon said. “The vehicle took off at a high rate of speed on Culver Drive and lost control, striking a curb and then a tree, splitting the vehicle in two and catching fire.”<\/p>\n

Azarcon added that when Orange County Fire Authority personnel and Irvine police arrived at the scene, the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames.<\/p>\n

“The flames had to be extinguished, and that’s when we found the two people inside the vehicle,” he said.<\/p>\n

KTLA’s Sandra Mitchell reported that witnesses said the vehicle was traveling at more than 100 mph when it crashed<\/a>. Wehr and Kramer were so badly burned in the wreckage that the Orange County Coroner’s Office said it could take days to officially identify the victims.<\/p>\n

\"California<\/p>\n

James Wehr, cofounder of South OC Cars & Coffee was killed, along with another person after a 2019 McLaren they were in crashed, split in two and caught fire on Sept. 13, 2026. (OC Hawk)<\/p>\n

\"California<\/p>\n

James Wehr, cofounder of South OC Cars & Coffee was killed, along with another person after a 2019 McLaren they were in crashed, split in two and caught fire on Sept. 13, 2026. (OC Hawk)<\/p>\n

\"California<\/p>\n

James Wehr, cofounder of South OC Cars & Coffee was killed, along with another person after a 2019 McLaren they were in crashed, split in two and caught fire on Sept. 13, 2026. (OC Hawk)<\/p>\n

\"Fatal<\/p>\n

Flowers sit at the base of a tree in Irvine marked with the burn scar of a fiery high-speed crash that killed a man and young woman on Sept. 13, 2026. (KTLA)<\/p>\n

\"Police<\/p>\n

Police investigate a fiery crash that killed two people after a McLaren struck a tree, split in two and caught fire in Irvine on Sept. 13, 2026. (Citizen)<\/p>\n

\"OC<\/p>\n

James Wehr, cofounder of South OC Cars & Coffee, billed as the largest weekly car show in the world, was killed in a fiery McLaren crash in Irvine on Sept. 13, 2026. (Instagram @southoccarsandcoffee)<\/p>\n

\"California<\/p>\n

James Wehr, 27, cofounder of South OC Cars & Coffee was killed, along with another person after a 2019 McLaren they were in crashed, split in two and caught fire on Sept. 13, 2026. (Wehr)<\/p>\n

\"California<\/p>\n

James Wehr, 27, cofounder of South OC Cars & Coffee was killed, along with another person after a 2019 McLaren they were in crashed, split in two and caught fire on Sept. 13, 2026. (Wehr)<\/p>\n

A friend of the Wehr family and automotive journalist, Michele Spencer, visited the crash site Monday night, where dozens of flowers had been left near a tree marked by a burn scar.<\/p>\n

“It’s a profound loss, very, very sad,” she told KTLA. “It’s just a big hug from the whole car community, and the family is devastated.”<\/p>\n

\u00a0‘Speed a factor’ in fiery McLaren crash that killed California car influencer, police say\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Wehr’s mother, Sarah Wehr, posted a moving tribute to her son on social media Sunday night.<\/p>\n

“It’s too soon. We brought you into this world at 2:36 a.m. on Aug. 17, 1999, and watched you grow into the magnificent man you are. Your love for people, for your friends and your family, was second to none. I remember your first steps at our home in Perth, Australia,” she wrote on Instagram<\/a>. “I remember everything. All of it. Your insanely great belly laugh and your cheeky smile. Thank you for all the years we were blessed to know and love you, James.”<\/p>\n

Investigators have not yet determined who was driving the McLaren at the time of the crash, nor have they provided any details about Wehr’s and Kramer’s relationship.<\/p>\n

Irvine police said the department’s Major Accident Investigation Team is conducting a detailed examination of the burned vehicle, which has been taken to an impound lot.<\/p>\n

Officials are also searching for surveillance video from nearby homes and businesses that may help them piece together what happened before the crash.<\/p>\n

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