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Wellness and popular social media influencer Summer Wheaton was named as the woman accused of causing a fatal crash in Malibu on July 4, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s official confirmed to Heavy in an email.
Wheaton was also identified as the driver by the Malibu Times.
Authorities are investigating whether Wheaton was at a star-studded event before the crash, a law enforcement official told the news site. The New York Daily News reported that the “grisly collision” occurred around 10:30 p.m. on July 4.
The man who died was identified as ride-share driver Martin Okeke, 44, according to the Malibu Times.
“As far as her being at Nobu, that is part of the overall investigation and unconfirmed at this time,” Sgt. Chris Soderlund of the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriffs Station told the Malibu Times. The famed hotspot touted its “Red, White & Bootsy” bash on Instagram for the 4th of July, highlighting attendance by celebrities like boxer Mike Tyson.
ABC7 reported that the crash occurred “after Wheaton left an exclusive event at Nobu restaurant attended by hundreds of guests known as the white party,” but the cause remains under investigation.
Wheaton’s Instagram page, where she has more than 100,000 followers, is set to private. She describes herself as a “wellness advocate” in the profile, which links to a website that directs people to her Amazon storefront.
The Fatal Traffic Collision Occurred in the Early Morning Hours Along the Pacific Coast Highway
Sheriff’s officials told ABC7 that Wheaton was driving a white Mercedes-Benz when she is accused of crossing the “center median” and crashing into “a Cadillac Escalade heading in the opposite direction.”
The male driver was pronounced dead at the scene, ABC7 reported. He has not been identified. Heavy has reached out to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for additional details.
The Malibu Times cited a sheriff’s report as saying that Wheaton’s vehicle “crossed the center median for unknown reasons and collided head-on with a 2020 Cadillac traveling westbound.”
“All lanes closed at the 22000 block of PCH, west of Carbon Cyn in @CityMalibu due to a fatal traffic collision. Use an alternate route, unknown ETA at this time,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Lost Hills Station wrote on X at 2:39 a.m. on July 5.
Caltrans District 7 wrote on X, “#PCH State Route 1 is *CLOSED* in both directions at Carbon Canyon Road in #Malibu with no estimated opening time, due to a fatal collision.” The route was later reopened, the Sheriff’s Department wrote.
The Nobu Event Went Forward Despite the City Denying the Restaurant a Temporary Use Permit for the Bash, Reports Say
According to ABC7, the Nobu event went forward even though the city “denied Nobu a temporary use permit to hold the event because the owners did not comply with conditions related to traffic and safety.”
“The city attorney responded advising them that doing so would constitute a willful violation of the city’s municipal code and would subject them to code enforcement action,” Malibu city manager Steve McClary said, according to the television station.
Wheaton’s website is no longer available.
According to the Malibu Times, it previously described her as, “a CEO and Founder of two innovative startups and a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering self-discovery, self-empowerment, and individual wellness. Her non-profit initiative focuses on encouraging self-discovery, providing resources for self-empowerment, and promoting sound of mind.”
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