The widow of car-world influencer James Wehr, who ran one of the largest weekly automotive gatherings in the world, is calling for an investigation into the crash that killed her husband and 22-year-old Hooters calendar model Alexis “Lexi” Kramer last week.
Emma Wehr, speaking through her attorney Corey Higgins, has requested a probe into the origin of the water that had pooled across the road on the night of the deadly collision.
‘The source of that water has yet to be identified, and our firm is actively investigating how that water came to be there, how long that condition had existed, and who may ultimately bear responsibility,’ Higgins said on Instagram on Thursday.
Higgins said significant issues surrounding the crash investigation remain unresolved.
“We are also examining the crashworthiness of the vehicle that James was driving, including how that vehicle and its safety systems performed during the collision,” the attorney added.
Wehr, 27, owned South OC Cars and Coffee and was driving with Kramer, 22, in Irvine on Saturday when he lost control of his 2019 supercar. The vehicle struck a tree with such force that it split in two.
The wreckage then caught fire, killing both Wehr and Kramer at about 12:20 a.m.
Police told TMZ that evidence indicates Wehr was behind the wheel. Officers said a woman had been seated in the passenger seat, rather than the driver’s seat, when Wehr was pulled over earlier that night.
Emma Wehr, shown with her late husband James, has called through attorney Corey Higgins for an investigation into the water covering the roadway on the night of the fatal crash.
Higgins said “important questions” about the fatal collision have yet to be answered.
James Wehr, 27, was riding with Alexis “Lexi” Kramer, 22, in Irvine on Saturday when his 2019 supercar crashed into a tree and split in half.
Investigators previously said they believe that ‘speed was a factor’ in the crash, Irvine Police Department officer Ziggy Azarcon told KTLA 5.
‘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 it on fire,’ Azarcon added.
Video footage obtained by TMZ showed Wehr’s McLaren speeding from a traffic light before hitting a part of roadway that appeared to be covered in water.
The dashcam footage saw Wehr lose control of the supercar, braking, before he then swerved and crashed into the tree, sparking into flames.
An hour before the crash, Wehr was seen behind the wheel when the vehicle was pulled over by Newport Beach Police and he was given a warning, a spokesperson for IPD told the outlet.
An investigation remains ongoing.
Family identified Lexi as the second victim in the deadly crash, and said the two had met through Instagram before Wehr flew her out to California from Florida.
According to the young woman’s family, Wehr had told Lexi that he was divorcing his wife Emma, the California Post reported.
Alexis ‘Lexi’ Kramer, 22, was flown in by Wehr from Florida to California just two days before the fatal crash in which she was killed
The car clipped the curb and barreled into a tree at 12.20am causing the vehicle split in half and catching fire, leaving both passengers dead
The young bartender, whose Instagram bio identified her as a 2026 Hooters calendar girl, shared Wehr’s passion for cars and motorcycles and had attended his hugely popular auto show earlier that day
‘[Wehr] talked to [Lexi] every day, all the time and finally got her to fly out to California to come see him,’ a family member told the outlet.
The young bartender, whose Instagram bio identified her as a 2026 Hooters calendar girl, shared Wehr’s passion for cars and motorcycles and had attended his hugely popular auto show earlier that day.
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‘She loved the car community, so it’s such a tragedy that that’s what ended her,’ the family member said.
Wehr was identified by family and friends on social media following the deadly events.
Floods of emotional tributes poured in for the car influencer, described as an ‘icon’ in the car community.
Among those were his wife Emma who said: ‘James, I never thought the day would come that I’d have to say such a final goodbye.’
‘Getting the opportunity to love you will always be the greatest blessing in my life. I grew up with you and you opened my eyes to everything the world had to offer. You had such a zest for life and drive like no one I’ve ever met.
‘You’re smart, kind, funny, loving, and genuinely one of the best people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. Like I said in my vows, I’m so grateful to have gotten the chance to live my life at the same time that you lived yours and whether it’s in this lifetime or the next my heart will always find its way to you. Rest easy my love.’
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
Wehr had posted a clip of a police car parked behind the black supercar at Newport Beach an hour before the crash. Police confirmed he was pulled over and given a warning
Sarah Wehr, the entrepreneur’s mother, described her son as a ‘magnificent man’ with a love for his people, family and friends that was ‘second to none.’
His sister, Sophie Wehr, posted a collection of childhood photos with her brother and said: ‘James, thank you. I’ll live every day with you in mind and do everything I can to make you proud.’
Lexi’s sister, Gracie Kramer, said on Facebook that Lexi was ‘so much more than just my best friend.’
‘She was all of my love, my heart, my attitude, and my humor wrapped into a smaller, more chaotic, less filtered, package. She was my other half,’ her sister wrote.
‘My entire life I’ve heard people tell me they wish they were as close with their siblings as we were, and I always spoke in the moment about how lucky I was that it was just the two of us. It was always just the two of us.
‘I wish now I could go back and express to her more about how much that really meant to me. When either of us were going through hard times we were always curled up in each other’s beds just trying to figure it out together.
‘I don’t know how to figure this one out without her. I don’t know what to do now without her. The love of my life.’
Kimberli Gandy, a friend of Lexi’s, wrote on Instagram that the 22-year-old ‘ was so unbelievably full of life.’
The owner of South OC Cars and Coffee, which hosts weekly car shows, was riding in a 2019 McLaren 720S at the time of the crash
Lexi and Wehr met for the first time and had gone to dinner at Nobu as well as drinks at the Pendry Hotel hours before the crash. She allegedly believed Wehr was divorcing his wife
‘She was joy and chaos and kindness and laughter and sunshine energy that made people love being around her. She was so vibrant and full of passion, and that is part of what makes this hurt so much,’ Gandy wrote.
‘I am shattered that she is gone. It feels cruel and unfair that she has been taken from us.’
The Daily Mail reached out to the Irvine Police Department and Higgins for comment.