Details continue to emerge about the fiery crash that killed “Fast & Furious” star Paul Walker and his friend, former Salvadoran race car driver Roger Rodas.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says speed was a factor in the one-car crash in the community of Valencia, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Deputies found a 2005 red Porsche Carrera GT engulfed in flames when they arrived Saturday afternoon.
On Sunday, fans of Walker, 40, gathered to create a makeshift memorial at the site of the crash, leaving flowers, candles and memorabilia from the action film franchise
Walker's publicist confirmed Sunday that the other person in the car was 38-year-old Rodas, a friend of Walker's who owned a sport car dealership in Valencia.
Ame Van Iden said the actor was the passenger, though the sheriff's department did not confirm that.
The Porsche crashed into a light pole and tree and burst into flames. The downed light pole had a speed limit sign of 45 mph.
Sheriff's deputy Peter Gomez said investigators are working to determine how fast the car was traveling and what caused it to go out of control, including whether the driver was distracted or something in the road prompted him to swerve.
According to an article in “Wealth Management,” Walker and Rodas first met at a race even in California when the actor noticed the racer driving a Porsche GT3 he had previously owned.
Walker and Rodas had attended a fundraiser benefiting victims of the recent typhoon in the Philippines. The event was held by Walker's Reach Out Worldwide, a charity he founded in 2010 to aid victims of natural disasters.
The fundraiser and toy drive took place at Rodas' custom car shop, Always Evolving, he co-founded with Walker. Attendees rushed to the nearby crash to try to put out the flames with fire extinguishers.
Bill Townsend, who attended the event, told AP Radio that Walker appeared very happy at the fundraiser.
"He was smiling at everybody, just tickled that all these people came out to support this charity," Townsend said. "He was doing what he loved. He was surrounded by friends, surrounded by cars."
The "Fast & Furious" star had been on break from shooting the seventh installment of the Universal Pictures franchise. Production began in September and while much of the film has been shot, it's incomplete.
Universal has not yet said what it plans to do with "Fast & Furious 7," which is currently slated for release in July.
Walker's sudden death left many in Hollywood stunned. As the news spread, his co-stars and other celebrities quickly took to Twitter to voice their disbelief.
"Your humble spirit was felt from the start," Ludacris, Walker's "Fast & Furious" co-star, said on Twitter. "Wherever you blessed your presence you always left a mark, we were like brothers."
His "Fast & Furious" co-star Vin Diesel posted a photograph of him and Walker arm-in-arm on Instagram with the message: "Brother I will miss you very much. I am absolutely speechless."
His on-screen love in movie franchise, Jordana Brewster, honored her co-star on Twitter: “Paul was pure light. I cannot believe his gone.”
"Thoughts and prayers tonight are with Paul Walker's friends and family, especially his little girl. So sad. Very heavy heart tonight," said James Van Der Beek, his co-star on "Varsity Blues," who later added, "I remember him as being so effortlessly golden. He has that way about him, that 'thing' #rippaulwalker #TeamPW."
Walker's "She's All That" co-star Rachael Leigh Cook tweeted: "Paul was a truly good person in a town of questionable characters. .. A real life tragedy is there ever was one."
Walker is survived by his 15-year-old daughter. Rodas is survived by a wife and two children.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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