EXCLUSIVE: Revealed, 'devastated' childhood friend of Paul Walker pictured risking his own life to try and save actor seconds after fireball car crash

  • Newt Wimer, 37, raced to scene and made a desperate attempt to pull Walker from the burning Porsche GT
  • Burnt arms in rescue bid, allegedly hit a firefighter who was trying to restrain him and was detained by police officers for his own protection
  • Friend said: 'He will be in pieces, just wishing he could have saved them both'
  • Wimer is a film stuntman, works for Walker's charity and invented a cannon that can disrupt hail storms

By Will Payne In Valencia, California

PUBLISHED: 13:03 EST, 6 December 2013 | UPDATED: 16:56 EST, 6 December 2013

This is the heroic friend of Paul Walker who desperately tried to battle scorching hot flames to save the actor and driver Roger Rodas in the moments after their horrific car crash. 

Newt Wimer raced to the scene and made a desperate attempt to pull Walker from the burning Porsche GT that had smashed into a steel pole seconds earlier. 

He actually burnt his arms in the rescue attempt and was so determined to save Walker he allegedly hit a firefighter who was trying to restrain him and had to be detained by police officers for his own protection.

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Tragic: The dramatic moment the car in which Paul Walker died explodes. The photo was taken just minutes after his car crashed into a pole and shows the Porsche exploding as fire marshals and police hold back friends

Desperation and bravery: Heroic Newt was pictured trying to save Walker and Rodas seconds after the crash. He had to be restrained by police for his own safety. He received burns to his arms in his rescue bid

Newton wimer

Hero: Newt Wimer, 37, is a childhood friend of Walker. He is a action movie stuntman, inventor and worked for the Fast and Furious star's outreach charity too

Fireball: People can be seen ducking for cover as smoke from the deadly crash fills the sky in California on Saturday

Devastated: A friend said: 'He is a brave man and he did everything he could that day. He would have carried on if he hadn’t been restrained. In fact it’s lucky he was or he could have died too'

The picture of Wimer being held back by the emergency services in front of burning wreckage has become one of the most memorable images from Saturday’s tragic crash.

A friend said: ‘Newt is absolutely devastated by what has happened. He is a brave man and he did everything he could that day. He would have carried on if he hadn’t been restrained. In fact it’s lucky he was or he could have died too.  

‘But despite that, he will be in pieces, just wishing he could have saved them both.’ 

However, it is almost certain Wimer's attempts were in vain. An audio recording of first responders on the scene found they declared him dead almost immediately when they arrived on the scene less than three minutes after a witness called 911, TMZ reported.

A coroner’s report completed on Wednesday showed Rodas died on impact from his injuries, but Walker was still alive when the car burst into flames. 

Wimer is a daredevil movie stuntman who has worked on films including Twister, Armageddon and Pirates of the Caribbean. 

He is also an inventor who designed a hi-tech piece of equipment capable of disrupting hail storms. That led to him staring in Weather Channel show, Weather Proof.  

Roger Rodas
Paul Walker

Sudden: Driver and owner of the Porsche GT Roger Rodas, left, was killed instantly on impact. Walker, right, died from a combination of trauma and burn injuries

Investigation: Fire officers examine the wreckage of the burnt out car where Paul Walker and his friend died

Investigation: Police believe high speed was almost certainly a major cause of the crash last Saturday

 

Wimer, 37, has been best friends with Fast and Furious actor Walker, 40, since meeting around 25 years ago at Village Christian High School in Los Angeles. 

They have always been closely involved in each other’s lives and Wimer took an active role in Walker’s charity, Reach Out WorldWide. 

He also found time in his hectic schedule to work as an engineer in Walker and 38-year-old Rodas’ Always Evolving racing team. 

The three friends were at Always Evolving’s Valencia, California, office on Saturday for a charity toy drive when Walker and Rodas decided to take a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT out for a quick spin round the block. 

 

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Just a minute later the supercar careered into a concrete lamppost. It was initially reported they were involved in a street race with another vehicle, but that has since been disproven.

A technical fault has also been suggested, but police are now all but certain that Rodas was driving much too fast – possibly double the 45mph limit – and he simply lost control.  

Wimer heard the smash from the Always Evolving offices and raced round to investigate. When he saw his friend in trouble he immediately ran to the car and tried to wrestle him free from the wreckage.  

One eye witness, Jim Torp, described how Newt desperately battled in vain to save Walker. He said: ‘Paul’s best friend, Newt, had burns on his arms from trying to pull Paul out. 

Paul Walker's mother, Cheryl Walker

Grief: Paul Walker's mother, Cheryl Walker, pictured yesterday for the first time. She supported Paul's acting career from an early age

Support: Paul Walker's brother, Cody Walker with his blonde wife Stephanie Walker pay a visit to mother Cheryl

Support: Paul Walker's brother, Cody Walker paid a visit to mother yesterday

Newton Wimer WalkerNute

Inventor: Newt Wimer created a machine that could disrupt hail storms, earning him a place on TV show Weather Proof

'He didn’t care, he wanted to get his friend out of the car. The sheriff detained him and put him in the car so he wouldn’t get hurt.’ 

Despite Wimer’s valiant efforts, both father-of-one Walker and father-of-two Rodas – an investment banker – died at the scene. 

Speaking immediately after, modest Wimer did not even mention his own involvement in the drama and simply paid tribute to his friends. 

He told E! News: ‘They were two fun loving men who cared tremendously about other people. They left behind a lot of people who they loved and supported with their time and any way they could.’ 

A source close to the friends – who has asked to remain anonymous – told MailOnline how the pair were ‘like brothers’.  

He said: ‘Newt and Paul grew up together, they went to the same school and were incredibly close. Like brothers really. 

‘Newt has a workshop where he works on cars and other projects at his dad’s place. Paul was always round there helping out. He was there just two weeks ago. 

‘I think it’s one of the only places where he felt most comfortable, because Newt and his family treated him like a normal person, not some big movie star. 

‘Newt’s brother Lucas is also involved with Always Evolving, so Paul is really close to the whole family. 

Paul Walker's father

Warning: Paul's father, Paul Walker Senior, told E! that one of the last conversations he had with his son was to ask him to end his 'dare devil stuff'

‘If they were working on a car and something heavy needed to be lifted or moved, they would shout at Paul to do it, just as though he was any other, regular guy. 

‘Losing Paul and Roger is such a massive blow to this group and this community. Not only were they hugely well-respected, popular guys, they were so important to many different businesses and charities. The ramifications of their deaths will go on for a long time.’ 

Walker’s death has left fans of the Fast and Furious franchise devastated. But his family have been hit hardest and are struggling to cope with the tragedy.

His father, Paul Walker Senior gave an emotional interview to E! Online saying he had asked his son to give up his dare devil ways the last time he saw him. 

He said: 'I said, "Promise me, no more daredevil stuff." I said, "If in your heart, you say, I can do this, then by all means, do it. If your mind says, maybe not. Then don't." I looked at him, I said, 'Will you promise me that?’’ 

'I said, "You know, promises are a very important thing here, Paul." I said, "Say OK," and he said "OK".  

‘You know, a lot of us, sometimes we make promises and get caught up in the moment and stuff like that, but I can tell I got to him,' Mr Walker said. 'I can tell that I was very serious. Sometimes sons think of their fathers and their grandfathers as these bigger than life people.' 

Mr Walker also talked about how his son was always uncomfortable with fame, and how the media attention surrounding his death would have made him uneasy. 

'It was embarrassing to him,' he said. 'I thought last night, "Paul would be embarrassed of this." And I looked up at the sky, and I said "Well, tough luck pal."' 

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Tragic: Paul pictured with the notoriously hard to handle Porsche Carrera GT on the day of his death

A burnt tree where the car came to rest

Tributes: Fans and family have turned the crash site into a memorial

His aunt, Linda Walker backed up Mr Walker’s sentiments, telling MailOnline her nephew was, ‘full of heart and substance’ and not ‘Hollywood at all’. 

Speaking from her house on the outskirts of LA she said: 'We are all hurting so badly, we just want him back. 

'He was a truly wonderful person. There should be more people like him in the world. He was full of heart and substance, he wasn't Hollywood at all. 

'He spent his life helping people. If he heard someone needed help and he felt it in his heart he would go out of his way to help them. 

'He was always doing it, he'd overhear someone in a coffee shop and if he felt it in his heart he do all he could to make things better for them.’ 

The actor leaves behind a 15-year-old daughter, Meadow, who he had with ex-girlfriend Rebecca Soteros. Tragically, the teenager had recently moved to LA to live with her father after being raised in Hawaii by her mom. 

Walker was just getting used to being a dad when his life suddenly ended. 

In an interview with Salon Magazine while shooting Fast & Furious 7, he admitted being 'torn' between work and family life, saying 'I'm excited for the work. My daughter is 15. I go home every weekend. 

'She's the best thing I have right now. It's a real healing time for both of us, so it's finding the right balance. You can reinvent yourself, but inside, there's truth to the noise. I may miss out on the best moments of my life, so it's maintaining the balance. I don't have to work if I don't want to, but I love the work,' he said. 

Walker's father told E! Online he having a 'real hard time talking with Meadow' and that all he has been able to do so far is give her a hug and a kiss. 

'It's hard to get to Meadow because she's got do many people close to her that are loving her and we want that,' he said. 

Comments (146)

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Omg all of u grow up at the end of the day he was a person that cared about people an is family he helped wen needed. Yes he was gd looking an had a gd job But think about his family when u write rubbish I wouldn't like it r.i.p Paul u will be missed

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Those two idiots with the camera phone had the perfect opportunity to film it and instead panicked over nothing. Useless.

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fast and furious will neva be the same without Paul. :( he is a legend!

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Was Paul Walker the president or something?

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That was a moving tribute.... I shedded a tear.

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Some of the comments on here are disgusting. He was an inspirational guy for his charity work as well as his acting. If you're coming on here to bad mouth him you should be ashamed, how would you react if it was a member of your family? McOnyon you're a disgrace

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Exactly...I've never seen any of his movies, I'm not a 'fan', but after learning about his horrible passing and seeing a few interviews these past days I really feel like the world lost a good person. Not only beautiful on the outside, but, more important, beautiful on the inside. It really touched me. May he and his friend rest in peace.

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Exactly...I have never seen any of his movies, but after hearing about this horrible accident and watching some of his interviews, reading about his charity work, I really feel like he was a genuine, good human being....Beautiful on the outside, and more important, beautiful on the inside. It really touched me...May he and his friend rest in peace.

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Why is the friend not being prosecuted for assaulting a Firey? Grief is no excuse for hitting someone. Or as a Nurse: -am I expected to be beaten every time a patient dies?

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not overly compassionate are you, mind you, that's the problem with a lot of nurses these days.

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So compassion isn't a skill they teach nurses these days.

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2 fast 2 funerals

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A friend of mine from Santa Clarita lives about 5 miles from the accident scene. She drove me up to the site very early this morning. Flowers and candles keep pouring in, showing just how well loved he was by his fans. The sad thing is, there is still charred scent in the air where the crash happened. Also what sort of took us aback, was how many cars were speeding by right on the road where it happened, even at the wee hours of the morning, but it's not surprising given the fact that the speed limit changes from 45 mph to 15 mph after a sharp turn.

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In the CCTV footage several cars pass the wreck before it starts to burn, why did they not stop? Perhaps wrecks like this happen everyday and no one bothers with them.

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