Ride Me

Paul Walker's fans RECORDED FOOTAGE of the scumbags who stole pieces of the wrecked Porsche GT the actor died in ... and the video, obtained by TMZ, could help prosecutors put the bad guys behind bars.

The video -- shot by fans who were at the scene to pay tribute to the actor -- captured the moments when two men ran over to the Porsche, which was on a tow truck, and ripped off pieces of the roof.

The crooks then sprinted away from the car ... as the fans screamed at them to stop and honked their car horn to alert other people about the crime.

We broke the story ... cops were called and quickly arrested one of the suspects. The other man fled the state, but cops say they know who he is and expect the guy to turn himself in soon.

Four years before he died, Paul Walker sat down in an interview and said his ultimate "dream car" was the Porsche Carrera GT ... the very car he died in ... and the interview was captured on video.

Paul was promoting "Fast & Furious" during the 2009 interview ... and raved about the GT -- saying, "That's the top car."

Paul Walker will be remembered by thousands of auto enthusiasts this weekend with a huge, noisy car rally ... but TMZ has learned law enforcement will be out in force ... gunning for any reckless drivers.

The car meet is scheduled to begin at noon on Hercules Street ... near the spot where Walker and Roger Rodas died in the fiery crash of their Porsche Carrera GT last weekend.

More than 20,000 people are expected to show up -- that's a lot of vehicles. City officials are urging locals to avoid the area altogether.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ they'll be ready for trouble, too ... with a highly visible police presence to make sure the event goes off safely.

Two sickos got busted today for allegedly stealing parts of the Porsche Paul Walker died in Saturday afternoon ... according to the Sheriff's Department.

The accused thieves allegedly made off with a T-top from the roof of the Porsche Carrera GT while it was being towed from the accident site to an impound yard late Saturday night.

According to the L.A. County Sheriff's Department ... the two men snatched the part when the tow truck stopped at a red light -- however the truck driver saw them drive off, and helped detectives identify them.

We're told 18-year-old Jameson Witty was arrested today -- and his cohort, who is out of state, has been contacted and will surrender soon.

The T-top was recovered in Witty's home -- and, remarkably, he actually posted a pic of the loot on his Instagram and bragged, "Piece of Paul walkers car, took it off a tow truck at a stop light."

Alleged criminals are dumb.

Paul Walker did NOT make a final desperate attempt to escape the burning wreckage -- and the image seen in video shot right after the crash is definitely NOT Paul ... TMZ has learned.

There had been rampant speculation and buzz on the Internet that a shadowy figure seen around 23 seconds into the video of the burning Porsche Carrera GT ... was Walker trying to get out of the vehicle, but sources connected to the investigation now say it just isn't so ... for several reasons.

First, the sources tell us that, based on photographs of the wreckage ... Paul's body was pinned in an area of the car that makes it clear he couldn't have been flailing outside the vehicle.

Also ...we're told that based on the injuries he suffered, Paul died within a nanosecond of impact, and therefore it's impossible for the image in the video to be him.

It's not clear how long after impact the video starts, but clearly more than a nanosecond.

A close examination of the video showing the Paul Walker's Porsche engulfed in flames reveals a shadowy image appearing to flail.

There is now a swirl of speculation that the image, seen roughly 23 seconds into the clip, is Paul attempting to escape the death trap.

Law enforcement sources who participated in the investigation tell TMZ ... there is strong evidence that Paul and Roger Rodas never got out of their seats, but when pressed they would not conclusively say that Paul didn't attempt an escape.

Our sources say ... investigators are confident Roger absolutely didn't move -- but they would not definitely say that about Paul.

One source says it appears both men were trapped in their seats and therefore did not attempt an escape, but the key word is "appears."

We're told law enforcement is looking at the video now.

Paul Walker died from the combined effects of traumatic and thermal injuries sustained from the Nov. 30 car crash ... this according to the L.A. County Coroner's Office.

Translation -- Paul did not die from the impact of the crash alone. He burned to death after the Porsche GT crashed into a tree and a pole and exploded into flames.

The man who was driving the Porsche GT, Roger Rodas, died from multiple traumatic injuries suffered upon impact. Burning was not listed as a factor in his death.

The coroner says toxicology results for both men will be available in 6 to 8 weeks.

The Medical Examiner says both deaths have been ruled as an accident.

Sources in the coroner's office tell us ... both men were positively ID'd by using dental records.

Walker and Rodas were killed Saturday in Santa Clarita, CA when the Porsche GT they were in veered off the road, slammed into a pole and exploded in flames. The cause of that crash is still under investigation.

Paul Walker wasn't the first to allegedly experience mechanical issues inside a Porsche Carrera GT -- TMZ has learned, the car company was sued over a deadly 2005 crash involving the same vehicle ... and it paid dearly in a massive settlement.

According to the lawsuit, two men (a driver and his passenger) were killed on a California race track while driving a 2005 Carrera GT ... hitting a wall at over 100 MPH while trying to avoid another car on the track.

The family of the passenger sued practically everyone involved in the accident for gross negligence -- and won $4.5 million in a giant settlement ... $350,000 of which was paid by Porsche.

The lawsuit alleged the GT didn't handle correctly on the track -- and according to the attorney for the victim's family, Craig McClellan ... sworn testimony from several Porsche experts confirmed a major design flaw with the GT is it doesn't have a Porsche Stability Management system.

We're told the PSMS uses a computer to correct the car if the rear end loses control -- and it is now required by law.

For Porsche's part, the company denied liability -- saying the car fully met federal safety standards at the time -- but it still paid its portion of the settlement to avoid further litigation.

It's unclear if Roger Rodas' Carrera GT had been fitted with a PSMS -- but McClellan says ZERO 2005 Carrera GTs (like Roger's) came off the assembly line with the system.

PSMS or not, it's worth noting the car has been a HUGE legal pain in the ass for Porsche. So far, Paul's family hasn't filed a lawsuit.

Paul Walker would NOT have been cool with Roger Rodas pushing the Porsche Carrerra GT to dangerous speeds the day they died ... that according to Paul's father.

Paul Walker Sr. says he's heard all the rumors about his son being into street racing -- but insists that's simply not true, because ... "He did not ever want to hurt anybody."

In the clip, Paul Sr. does admit his son loved going fast in cars, but only under specific conditions .. which he describes.

2:35 P.M. PT -- The coroner tells us the autopsies on both bodies are now complete ... but we're still waiting to find out the exact cause of death. The findings could be announced later today. Story developing ...

We may soon know the exact cause of Paul Walker's death ... TMZ has learned the coroner's office will begin the autopsy shortly.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... the autopsies on Walker and Roger Rodas will be completed today. We're told the coroner also hopes to make positive ID on both bodies ... which was delayed because dental records were needed.

Walker and his racing partner Rodas were killed Saturday when the Porsche Carrera GT they were driving in crashed into a pole. Witnesses on the scene say it appeared both men burned to death when the car exploded in a fireball.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

Jay Leno knows firsthand the danger -- and the thrill -- of driving a Porsche Carrera GT -- similar to the one that Paul Walker died in -- because he lost control of one while driving at 182 MPH!!

Leno climbed behind the wheel of a 605 horsepower, V-10 GT back in 2005 ... trying to set a speed record at Talladega Motor Speedway. Cost of the car at that time -- $448K.

MotorTrend reported that Leno was gunning it -- going faster than 180 MPH -- when he lost control of the Porsche and spun out ... spinning across the track five times before hitting the infield grass.

Amazingly ... Leno managed to avoid hitting any walls .... and there was hardly a scratch on the car.

Pro driver David Donohue -- who was present that day -- told MotorTrend Leno took his foot off the accelerator because he got too close to a wall, which caused the car to spin. He says it shows just how sensitive the Carrera GT is at high speeds.

Miley Cyrus ain’t exactly Hell’s Angels material … but she looked like a bad ass biker chick cruising through the mean streets of suburban Toluca Lake, CA on her sweet 3-wheel motorcycle.

As we reported ... the motorized tricycle was a gift from daddy ... Billy Ray dropped $24K on a 2013 Can Am Spyder with a customized paint job -- it's decorated with tiny M.C.'s all over it.

The sports car Paul Walker died in was so gnarly to drive ... Porsche WARNED its dealers, in writing, about letting just anyone drive the vehicle ... because it's hyper sensitive to road conditions.

TMZ obtained a copy of a memo sent from Porsche HQ to multiple dealers in the Midwest back in 2004 ... right before the $500K Carrera GT went on sale -- and it explains how ridiculously powerful the car is, but also that ... "this vehicle cannot drive over a Foster Beer can that is lying on its side."

In the doc, a Porsche exec says, "You need to be aware of what type of road surface you are on (dips; pot holes, seam heights, etc.)"

It's worth noting ... the road where Paul and Roger Rodas crashed is covered with reflective dots -- y'know, the ones you've probably driven over harmlessly thousands of times. Of course, you probably weren't driving the GT ... which some pro drivers have called "brutal and savage" and difficult to control.

Police are still investigating the exact cause of the accident, and, so far, have only said speed was a factor.

The exec's memo explains the GT is damn close to being a real deal racecar, but adds ... "This car has all the disadvantages of a racecar."

The high speed crash that killed Paul Walker and Roger Rodas caused a huge explosion and fireball that could be seen for miles ... and it was all recorded on a security camera that captured the precise moment of impact.

The footage was recorded from a rooftop camera in an industrial park next to the crash site. It shows the initial collision (on the right of the screen) which caused the Porsche to explode in flames ... moments before another, larger blast sends a fireball high into the sky.

What's also interesting -- there appears to be no other cars either immediately in front of or behind the Porsche at the time of the crash.

Paul Walker liked his cars fast fast fast -- in fact, he once boasted about hitting a top speed of 185 MPH -- and it wasn't on a racetrack ... it was on a freeway.

"The Fast & The Furious" star -- who died in a fiery car crash on Saturday -- made the revelation on GTChannel back in 2011 ... while taking a Nissan GT-R out for a test spin in Japan.

"The fastest I've ever gone is 184 to 186," Walker says on the video .... and then he reveals how fast he was clocked on an actual racetrack.

The site where Paul Walker died has become a danger zone ... with some fans paying tribute to the actor by doing dangerous burn-outs, donuts and other high speed stunts -- and now cops tell us they're cracking down before someone else gets hurt.

In fact, one our of own TMZ producers personally witnessed the exhibitions of speed at the crash site -- people roll up, burn rubber, and peel out in an effort to pay tribute to the late "Fast and the Furious" star.