The family of Alexis Kramer has spoken out after the 22-year-old influencer was killed alongside car enthusiast James Wehr, 27, in a fiery McLaren crash in California.
Kramer and Wehr died just after midnight on Sunday, September 13, when the 2019 McLaren he was driving split in two and burst into flames in Irvine, California. Irvine Police Department and Orange County Fire Authority responded to the scene at Culver Drive and Deerfield Avenue after receiving calls at 12:18 a.m. About a vehicle on fire following a collision.
A relative of Kramer’s told the California Post that Wehr had paid for her to fly from her home in Lakeland to meet him after the pair had spent a month chatting online. The family member said Wehr told Kramer he was finalizing a divorce from his wife, and that Kramer believed she was traveling to see a man who loved her.
“He talked to her every day, all the time and finally got her to fly out to California to come see him,” the relative said.
The family member added that they had warned Kramer about whether Wehr was actually getting divorced, though Kramer gave him the benefit of the doubt. “She only knew from what he told her that they were almost done finalizing their divorce,” the relative continued. “She tried so hard to give him the benefit of the doubt because I was wary about if he was actually getting divorced.”
According to the Irvine Police Department’s press release, the McLaren had stopped northbound on Culver Drive at Deerfield Avenue. When the traffic light turned green, the car accelerated northbound at a high rate of speed. The driver lost control, and the vehicle traveled to the right, striking a curb and a tree before splitting in two and catching fire.
After Orange County Fire Authority extinguished the blaze, two people were found dead inside the vehicle. IPD’s Major Accident Investigation Team is continuing to investigate the collision, and authorities have asked anyone with information to contact Detective David Juarez at (949) 724-7047.
Wehr and Kramer are believed to have spent all of Saturday, September 12, together, including going out for breakfast and other food and drinks, before the fatal crash occurred hours later.
Kramer, who had appeared as a Hooters calendar model, and Wehr, known in car enthusiast circles, had connected through social media and were meeting in person for the first time. The relative’s account suggests Kramer saw the trip as the beginning of a romantic relationship, though questions about Wehr’s marital status had been raised within her family before she traveled.
The crash has drawn attention to the dangers of high-speed driving on public roads, with the McLaren’s violent destruction underscoring the force of the impact. Police have not yet released findings on whether speed was the sole factor or if other conditions contributed to Wehr losing control.
Authorities have not announced any public memorial services for either Kramer or Wehr.