A wrecked McLaren supercar linked to the deaths of 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 ignited late Wednesday night. The McLaren had been reduced to twisted wreckage in the devastating collision the previous month.
The unexpected blaze has puzzled investigators. Surveillance footage shows sparks shooting from the destroyed vehicle before flames spread through the car and thick smoke filled the storage garage.
The black 2019 McLaren 720S had remained at a Costa Mesa tow yard since the September 13 crash that killed Wehr, 27, founder of South OC Cars and Coffee, and Kramer, 22, a Florida bartender and Hooters calendar girl.
The pair died after the high-powered supercar slammed into a tree in Irvine, California. The impact split the vehicle apart and sent it up in flames.
Now, weeks after the fatal collision, the mangled McLaren has inexplicably ignited once again.
Video from the storage facility shows sparks emerging near the front of the wrecked McLaren before the fire quickly intensifies.
Within seconds, smoke spreads throughout the garage and becomes so thick that it blocks the security camera’s view entirely. No one was hurt in the second fire.
Dramatic surveillance footage shows the wrecked McLaren supercar bursting into flames inside a secure California storage facility more than a month after the fatal crash
Flames rise 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 traveled from Florida to California just two days before the crash that claimed her life
James Wehr, 27, died after the supercar split apart and caught fire during an early-morning crash in Irvine, California, on Saturday, September 13
Irvine Police Department spokesperson Kyle Oldoerp confirmed that the second fire broke out at a Costa Mesa facility contracted to store vehicles involved in crashes.
Investigators believe the McLaren’s heavily damaged electrical system may have played a role in the unexpected ignition after the wreckage had spent more than a month in storage.
The force of the original crash was severe enough to tear the supercar apart and cause extensive damage to its electrical components.
Authorities have not yet established exactly what sparked Wednesday night’s blaze.
Costa Mesa Fire and Rescue is leading the investigation. Police said arson is not suspected.
Wehr and Kramer had apparently been in the early stages of a whirlwind romance when they died, just days after meeting in person.
Kramer, who was from Lakeland, Florida, had flown across the country to see Wehr after the two began a relationship on Instagram.
Her grieving 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
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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.’