Rising Tennis Star Braun Levi, 18, Killed By Suspected Drunk Driver Just Weeks Before Graduation

18-Year-Old Ten­nis Star Braun Levi Killed by Sus­pect­ed Drunk Dri­ver

Braun Levi, a top-ranked 18-year-old ten­nis play­er from Loy­ola High School in Los Ange­les, trag­i­cal­ly died on May 4 in a sus­pect­ed DUI crash in Man­hat­tan Beach. Just days ear­li­er, Levi had cel­e­brat­ed his fourth con­sec­u­tive Mis­sion League dou­bles title with his part­ner, Coop­er Schwartz. He was prepar­ing to grad­u­ate and attend the Uni­ver­si­ty of Vir­ginia.

Levi’s fam­i­ly had recent­ly moved to South Bay after los­ing their home in a fire ear­li­er this year. The sus­pect­ed dri­ver, 33-year-old Jenia Belt, had a sus­pend­ed license from a pri­or DUI and is now being held with­out bail on charges of DUI and vehic­u­lar manslaugh­ter.

Loy­ola High School and the wider com­mu­ni­ty are mourn­ing Levi’s loss. He was remem­bered as a gift­ed ath­lete, com­pas­sion­ate leader, and loy­al friend. A can­dle­light vig­il was held in his hon­or, with heart­felt trib­utes pour­ing in from class­mates, team­mates, and orga­ni­za­tions like Mac­cabi USA.

Levi is sur­vived by his par­ents, Daniel and Jen­nifer, and his sis­ter, Adelle. His pass­ing is not only a heart­break­ing loss for his fam­i­ly and school but also a stark reminder of the dan­gers of impaired dri­ving.

His mem­o­ry lives on in the lives he touched—on and off the ten­nis court—and serves as a pow­er­ful inspi­ra­tion to live ful­ly and cher­ish those we love.