A California supercar enthusiast and a Florida Hooters calendar model were on their first date when they were killed in a devastating fiery crash, according to her family.
James Wehr, 27, and Alexis “Lexi” Kramer, 22, died at about 12:20 a.m. Sunday after Wehr’s 2019 McLaren crashed into a tree in Irvine, Orange County. The impact tore the high-performance vehicle in half before it erupted in flames, killing both occupants. Disturbing video from the scene captured the scale of the wreckage.
A member of Kramer’s family told the California Post that Wehr had paid for her to fly from Lakeland, Florida, to California on Friday so the pair could meet in person for the first time after chatting through social media for a month.
The relative said Wehr told Kramer he was separated from his wife, Emma, and that they were completing their divorce, though no filing had been made in Orange County courts. Kramer believed she was flying out to visit a man who loved her, the family member said. The two spent all of Saturday together.
Wehr took Kramer to breakfast before they went to Nobu for dinner and later had drinks at the Pendry, according to the relative.
A photo posted on Wehr’s social media before the collision showed the eye-catching McLaren parked outside the hotel on Saturday night.
“He talked to her every day, all the time and finally got her to fly out to California to come see him,” the family member said.
Kramer had not met Wehr face-to-face before the California trip. The two connected through Instagram direct messages and had been communicating for roughly a month, the relative said. Although she knew Wehr was married, she accepted his assurances that the marriage was essentially over. “She only knew from what he told her that they were almost done finalizing their divorce,” the family member said.
The relative said family members had urged Kramer to be cautious about Wehr’s claim that he was getting divorced, but she wanted to trust him. “She tried so hard to give him the benefit of the doubt because I was wary about if he was actually getting divorced,” the family member said.
On the night of the crash, Kramer sent a breakfast photo to a family member alongside the message: “At cute breakfast place.”
The picture showed the side profile of a man whose tattoo sleeve matched Wehr’s.
Hours later, the McLaren was stopped at a red light before accelerating at a high rate of speed when the light turned green, police said.
The driver lost control, crossed a curb and slammed into a tree. Authorities have not said who was driving or released a precise speed as the investigation continues.
The Post has reached out to Wehr’s family and business for comment.