Paul Walker Auction: Sale Of Death Site Memorabilia Leads To Outrage

Paul Walker is remembered lovingly for his acting and charitable work, but at least one person is trying to cash in off that popularity by selling items reportedly taken from the site of the actor’s death.

Items found from the scene of Walker’s death in a fiery car crash have turned up for auction, including a piece of debris from the car, a fire extinguisher used to put out the fire, and a pair of sunglasses the actor was wearing before he died.

An acquisition specialist at BidAMI.com verified that they were indeed the items from Paul Walker’s crash site, but did not disclose the person who obtained them. The seller claims to have been at the scene of the November 30 crash, and despite being told by police to stay away the person reportedly collected several items.

“The owner of this lot offering was nearby and on scene for information and assistance with officers and reporters,” the auction description noted. “Once the site investigation was cleared with car debris hauled away and tape taken down, a responding officer allowed him as well as others back to the public site. The only thing left was a charred ivy brush, minor residual debris, a knocked down pole and tree.”

The Paul Walker auction drew little interest, however, and on Friday the auction company announced that it would be extending the bidding.

But it has drawn plenty of controversy. Critics have called the auction immoral, and called out the anonymous seller for trying to profit from Walker’s death and equating him or her to a modern-day grave robber.

Several of these critics expressed anger and disappointment on Twitter:

A looter is auctioning off the sunglasses Paul Walker was wearing when he died, promising to use the proceeds to buy himself a human soul.

— Paul Richardson (@RunningJoke) March 14, 2014

At the same time, police have expressed doubts the sunglasses actually belonged to Walker.

“As a department we doubt that they are actually Paul Walker’s sunglasses,” a spokesperson said. “But who knows, maybe they are. Right now we doubt it.”

A spokesperson from the auction site said the seller tried to give the Paul Walker death memorabilia back to the actor’s family, but heard no response.