Summer Wheaton has been arrested by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The social media influencer caused a car crash in July 2024 in Malibu while driving under the influence, which led to the death of a 44-year-old rideshare driver. Wheaton was in the hospital for a while after the accident and turned herself in to the police on Monday, February 24, 2025. She has been released on bond.
Summer Wheaton Arrested
Instagram influencer and wellness advocate Summer Wheaton was arrested on Monday following her July 2024 DUI accident in Southern California. She was drunk at the time of the accident, and her Mercedes Benz crossed the middle of the Pacific Coast Highway when she ran into a car going in the opposite direction. The driver of the other vehicle, a rideshare driver identified as Martin Okeke died on the spot. Summer Wheaton was arrested after a warrant was issued following a months-long investigation.
The Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station in Malibu took her in after she surrendered. She faces multiple charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence, and Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol with a BAC of 0.08% or above causing bodily injury, according to a post by the sheriff’s department on Facebook. The February 25 post also asked for help from the general public for more details about the case, asking them to “contact Detective Shean at Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station.”
Who Is Summer Wheaton?
Before getting arrested, Summer Wheaton wore many hats. She was an Instagram influencer with over 100,000 followers and has been a Nike fitness model since 2014. On her website, she touted herself as a “Speaker and Wellness Advocate.” The influencer also worked in the marketing department of Nasty Gal in 2013 due to her love for online shopping. She attributed her personal and professional growth to the role.
According to Wheaton’s LinkedIn profile, she founded a real estate company, Stay a While, and worked as a realtor at The Partners Trust from 2015 to 2016. She also worked as a public affairs and special events assistant at BET Networks for about three months in 2012 and serves with organizations such as the Women’s Caucus. In April 2024, she started a business known as A Safe Space, aimed at providing housing facilities for foster children suffering from autism and PTSD.
Martin Okeke’s Family Presses Charges
Summer Wheaton’s victim’s family is pressing to have her arrested and charged. They filed a lawsuit against her in December last year, alleging that her drunk driving caused the accident. Meanwhile, Summer Wheaton posted Bible verses on her Instagram Stories on Tuesday after getting arrested and released on bond. Since December, she has also promoted and sold a “faith-based planner” she created based on the fatal crash. In the promotional video, Wheaton hinted at her troubles.
“You know that feeling when life feels like it’s all falling apart, but somehow it’s the start of something really beautiful? Well, that was me,” the Instagram influencer said in the voiceover. “The last few months have been hard. I went through moments where I truly didn’t know [how] I pulled through. But in the chaos, something shifted. I was reminded of a deeper truth: that beautiful things can bloom out of despair. Sometimes, it’s in those broken places where faith takes root and grows stronger.”
#Clique, what do you think of Summer Wheaton’s arrest? Let us know in the comments.
