Who is Summer Wheaton? Social media influencer arrested in connection with fatal drunk driving crash

Instagram star Summer Wheaton was recently taken into custody on February 24, 2025, on charges linked to a car crash in July last year, which led to the death of an individual. People magazine reported that Wheaton's Mercedes Benz was crossing through the middle of the highway when it crashed into another vehicle going towards the opposite side. The driver of the other car, who was identified as Martin Okeke, died on the spot.

For the unversed, Wheaton's LinkedIn profile states that she is the founder of a real estate company called Stay a While that focuses on vacation rentals. Wheaton has a self-titled official website that describes her as a "Speaker and Wellness Advocate."

Regarding Wheaton's recent arrest, Martin Okeke's family had filed a lawsuit against her in December last year, alleging that she was intoxicated at the time of the incident.

As per NBC News, the legal documents claimed that Summer was reportedly supposed to attend a party at a restaurant called Nobu Malibu. However, the venue allegedly did not have permission to organize the party and had not followed the city rules for control over drunk driving cases.

As per the latest update on Summer Wheaton's legal issue, multiple charges were imposed on her. On February 25, 2025, Lost Hills Sheriff's Station wrote on Facebook that she was arrested when the authorities acquired an arrest warrant after the car crash investigation ended around a month ago.

Additionally, the post requested help from the general public to find more details related to the case, telling them to get in touch with Detective Shean. The charges were also mentioned in the caption:

"She was booked for the charges of Gross Vehicular Manslaughter While Intoxicated, Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol Causing Bodily Injury, and Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol with a BAC of 0.08% or above Causing Bodily Injury."

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Summer Wheaton career explored: Educational background and more

Summer Wheaton went to the Palisades Charter High School and completed her higher studies at Hampton University. According to her LinkedIn profile, she was associated with the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors as an intern in 2011.

She is currently the founder of a real estate company called Stay a While. On October 18, 2018, she appeared for an interview with Bauce magazine and opened up on how she became a part of the real estate. Her interest in online shopping also contributed to her hiring in the marketing department of Nasty Gal in 2013. She addressed her career at the company by saying:

"At the time it was a huge phenomenon, everyone shopped there, it was a dream job. I recreated a lot of things they had done because they did not know their real target market."

Wheaton also shared that she had the opportunity to meet influencers such as Keke Palmer and Heather Sanders when she was associated with the firm. She added:

"They opened a new conversation for us at the roundtable. It was exciting, something I'd never been able to express. I found myself loving how to put pieces together, persuading people to see a bigger picture. That was the first time I realized I love selling."

According to her LinkedIn profile, Summer Wheaton served as a public affairs and special events assistant at BET Networks for around three months (July-September 2012). She was a realtor at The Partners Trust from 2015 to 2016.

Currently, she is a member of organizations such as the Women's Caucus and has been a fitness model for Nike since July 2014. She established a business called A Safe Space in April 2024. It aims to provide housing facilities for foster children suffering from autism and PTSD. Summer Wheaton is even active on Instagram with more than 100,000 followers.