Two people were killed early Sunday when a 2019 McLaren left an Irvine road, struck a tree with enough force to split apart, and caught fire.
The single-vehicle crash happened shortly after midnight near Culver Drive and Deerfield Avenue. Police say the McLaren had been stopped at a traffic light before accelerating north on Culver Drive at a high rate of speed when the signal changed.
The Irvine Police Department had not publicly identified either person in the car Sunday. But South OC Cars and Coffee identified one of the people killed as 27-year-old James Wehr, whose family helped build the San Clemente gathering into one of Southern California’s largest recurring car events.
Wehr and his father, Simon, ran the weekly show together. Long before Sunday’s crash, James could routinely be found walking among hundreds of cars at the Outlets at San Clemente, filming the show and helping manage the event alongside volunteers.
After The Light
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Officers and Orange County Fire Authority crews were called to Culver Drive and Deerfield Avenue at about 12:18 a.m., according to CBS Los Angeles, which obtained the preliminary account from Irvine Police.
The McLaren had been stopped while traveling north on Culver Drive. Once the light turned green, the car accelerated at a high rate of speed, the driver lost control, and the McLaren veered right over a curb before striking a tree.
The impact split the car in two and it caught fire.
A witness interviewed near the scene in the supplied video described hearing an initial crash followed by a much larger boom. Sid Barnasi said he and his friends came outside and saw a large fire as police, firefighters, and an ambulance converged on the area.
After firefighters extinguished the flames, two people were found dead.
Police have not said how fast the McLaren was traveling, and they have not publicly identified which occupant was driving.
A Familiar Face
South OC Cars and Coffee later announced that Wehr was among those who died.
“This morning, just after midnight, we lost our darling son and brother James, in a motor accident,” the family said in a statement published through the group’s Instagram account, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The family asked for privacy while processing the loss.
Wehr’s prominence in Orange County’s car community went well beyond maintaining a popular social account. A 2023 Voice of OC profile described James and Simon Wehr as the event’s main organizers, with the pair spending Saturdays circulating through the show and producing videos for its online audience.
James told the outlet at the time that the gathering typically drew roughly 800 to 1,000 cars each week, with attendance occasionally climbing as high as 2,500.
Saturday Mornings
The scale has continued to grow.
The South OC Cars and Coffee website now says between 1,000 and 3,000 vehicles can attend its Saturday gatherings at the Outlets at San Clemente, ranging from vintage cars and muscle cars to exotics, supercars, pickups, and motorcycles.
Its own history describes a much smaller beginning. After earlier Cars and Coffee gatherings disappeared or changed locations, the group initially met at a Target parking lot in San Clemente. Attendance eventually outgrew that location.
Simon Wehr later began organizing Saturday evening cruises from the newly opened Outlets at San Clemente. The relationship with the shopping center eventually provided the group with a permanent home, where Simon and James went on to run the weekly gathering with family members, volunteers, and photographers.
By January 2026, James was appearing before San Clemente officials to advocate for the event when its future became the subject of a city debate. Voice of OC reported that city leaders ultimately allowed the show to continue without imposing new conditions on its permit.
“We’re so grateful,” James had said in an earlier interview about the crowds coming out every week. “Getting to see people come out every week and enjoy the show.”
Still Unanswered
Sunday’s crash remains under investigation.
Irvine Police have not publicly identified the second person killed or said whether James Wehr was driving or riding in the McLaren. That distinction is important because the department’s preliminary account describes what the driver did before the crash but does not identify that person.
The department’s Major Accident Investigation Team is handling the case. Police have asked anyone with information about the crash to contact Detective David Juarez at 949-724-7047.