A wrecked McLaren supercar linked to the deaths of popular car influencer James Wehr and 22-year-old Hooters calendar girl Alexis “Lexi” Kramer has caught fire for a second time, more than a month after the fatal Southern California crash.
The luxury sports car was being held at a secure, police-contracted storage facility when it suddenly burst into flames late Wednesday night. The vehicle had been destroyed in a devastating collision the previous month.
The unexplained blaze has puzzled investigators. Surveillance video shows sparks emerging from the mangled wreck before flames spread through the vehicle and thick smoke filled the garage.
The black 2019 McLaren 720S had remained at a Costa Mesa tow yard since the September 13 crash that killed South OC Cars and Coffee founder Wehr, 27, and Kramer, a 22-year-old bartender from Florida who appeared in a Hooters calendar.
The pair died after the high-powered supercar slammed into a tree in Irvine, California, breaking apart and catching fire.
Weeks later, the heavily damaged vehicle ignited again under circumstances authorities have yet to explain.
Video released by investigators shows sparks suddenly flashing around the front of the wrecked McLaren before the fire quickly intensified.
Smoke soon spread throughout the storage building, becoming so thick that it completely blocked the security camera’s view. No one was hurt in the second fire.
Dramatic surveillance footage captures the moment the wrecked McLaren supercar bursts into flames inside a secure California storage facility, more than a month after the horrific crash
Flames erupt from the mangled McLaren that killed influencer James Wehr, 27, and Hooters calendar girl Lexi Kramer, 22, in a September crash
Alexis ‘Lexi’ Kramer, 22, had flown from Florida to California just two days before the fatal crash in which she was killed
James Wehr, 27, died after the supercar split in two and burst into flames following the early morning crash on Saturday September 13 in Irvine, California
Irvine Police Department spokesperson Kyle Oldoerp confirmed that the fire occurred at a Costa Mesa facility contracted to store vehicles involved in crashes.
Investigators say the McLaren’s badly damaged electrical system may have caused the wreckage to reignite after sitting at the facility for more than a month.
The initial impact was powerful enough to tear the supercar apart, extensively damaging its electrical components.
However, authorities have not established exactly what sparked Wednesday’s blaze.
Costa Mesa Fire and Rescue is leading the investigation, while police said they do not believe the fire was intentionally set.
Wehr and Kramer had appeared to be beginning a whirlwind romance when they died only days after meeting in person.
Kramer, who lived in Lakeland, Florida, had flown across the country to see Wehr after the two connected and began a relationship on Instagram.
Her sister, Gracie Kramer, previously said the pair had been in contact for about a month before Wehr paid for Lexi’s flight to California.
The car clipped the curb and barreled into a tree at 12.20am on Saturday September 13 causing the vehicle split in half and catching fire, leaving both passengers dead
Kramer and James Wehr had been talking on Instagram for about a month before meeting up
Friends described Wehr as one of the ‘biggest inspirations,’ a ‘modern day Paul Walker’ and an ‘icon in the car community’
The young woman arrived two days before the fatal crash, excited to meet the car enthusiast with whom she shared a passion for powerful vehicles and motorcycles.
But the budding relationship became embroiled in controversy after Kramer’s family alleged Wehr had misled her about his marriage.
Gracie claimed Wehr told her sister he was separated from his wife, Emma, and was in the process of getting divorced.
‘That man lied to my sister and said his divorce was finalizing and he was fully separated,’ she 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.’
The pair spent Saturday attending Wehr’s hugely popular South OC Cars and Coffee gathering before enjoying an evening together dining at Nobu and later visiting the Pendry Hotel in Newport Beach for drinks.
Wehr shared a photograph from the hotel before posting another image showing his McLaren pulled over by police. It remains unclear why the vehicle had been stopped.
Shortly after midnight, the McLaren supercar accelerated rapidly away from traffic lights before Wehr, whom police subsequently identified as the driver, lost control.
The vehicle struck a curb and slammed into a tree at around 12.20am, breaking apart and erupting in flames. Both occupants died.
Wehr had posted a clip on Instagram of a police car parked behind the black supercar at Newport Beach just an hour before the deadly crash
Emma, Wehr’s wife pictured above, posted an emotional set of photos of the pair, including on their wedding day, alongside a heartbreaking tribute to her late husband
Emma described her husband as ‘smart, kind, funny, loving, and genuinely one of the best people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing’
Sisters Lexi, left, and Gracie Kramer are seen smiling at the camera in a set of photos posted by Gracie after her sister’s death
The tragedy devastated two families and sent shockwaves through Southern California’s close-knit automotive community.
Kramer had recently earned an associate’s degree from Polk State College and secured a new job in a leadership position.
Her sister described her as ‘kind and funny and charismatic’ in an emotional tribute to a young woman whose future had appeared so promising.
Wehr, meanwhile, had established himself as a prominent figure among California’s supercar enthusiasts.
Alongside his father, Simon, he founded South OC Cars and Coffee, which bills itself as the world’s largest weekly car show, regularly attracting hundreds or even thousands of vehicles.
His mother, Sarah, remembered him as a ‘magnificent man’ with an ‘insanely great belly-laugh’ and a ‘cheeky smile.’
Wehr’s widow, Emma, also paid an emotional tribute to her husband, describing their relationship as one of the greatest blessings of her life.
‘Whether it’s in this lifetime or the next my heart will always find its way to you,’ she wrote. ‘Rest easy my love.’
