Alexis 'Lexi' Kramer, 22, a Hooters calendar girl from Lakeland, Florida, has been identified as the second victim in a fiery McLaren crash that also killed James Wehr, 27, the founder of South OC Cars and Coffee. The collision occurred early Sunday morning in Irvine, California, when the supercar veered off the road, struck a tree, and burst into flames.
Kramer had reportedly flown to California just two days prior to the crash to meet Wehr for the first time after connecting on Instagram. Her sister, Gracie Kramer, stated that Wehr had told Kramer he was separated from his wife and in the process of divorcing. However, Gracie expressed doubts, noting that court records did not indicate any filed divorce proceedings.
"That man lied to my sister and said his divorce was finalizing and he was fully separated," Gracie Kramer told the California Post. "[He] talked to her every day all the time and finally got her to fly out to California to come see him."
According to Gracie, Kramer and Wehr spent part of Saturday at the South OC Cars and Coffee event before going out for dinner at Nobu and drinks at the Pendry Hotel in Newport Beach. Wehr had posted an image from the Pendry on Instagram and later shared a photograph of the McLaren 720S seemingly pulled over by police, though the reason for the stop is unclear.
Around 12:20 a.m. on Sunday, the McLaren was at a red light near Culver Drive and Deerfield Avenue in Irvine. Police stated that the vehicle accelerated at high speed after the light changed, at which point the driver lost control. The car clipped a curb and slammed into a tree, breaking apart and catching fire. Both occupants were pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities have not publicly disclosed who was driving the vehicle, and the circumstances leading to the crash remain under investigation. Kramer's family provided dental records to the medical examiner for formal identification.
Kramer, who had recently earned an associate's degree from Polk State College and secured a new leadership position, was described by her sister as "kind and funny and charismatic."
Wehr was a prominent figure in the Southern California car community. He co-founded South OC Cars and Coffee with his father, Simon Wehr, building it into an event that attracts between 800 and 2,500 vehicles weekly and is described as the world's largest weekly car show. Friends and family remembered Wehr as a devoted son and friend, with many in the car community calling him an "icon" and a "modern day Paul Walker."