Just weeks before graduating, Loyola High School senior and tennis standout Braun Levi was tragically killed in a car crash early Sunday morning in Manhattan Beach. He was 18.
Levi had recently achieved another major milestone in his high school tennis career, winning the Mission League doubles title for the fourth consecutive year. A photo captured him smiling alongside his teammate Cooper Schwartz, proudly holding up four fingers to mark the occasion. In April, Loyola celebrated Levi’s rise into the top national rankings for boys tennis.
The Levi family had recently moved to the South Bay after losing their Pacific Palisades home in a January wildfire, making Braun’s recent athletic accomplishments even more meaningful. 
The news of Levi’s passing was delivered to the Loyola community by Principal Jamal Adams in an emotional message Sunday.
“Braun was a shining presence in our Loyola family,” Adams wrote. “He brought light, joy, and inspiration to everyone he touched.” A prayer vigil was held that evening on campus in his memory.
Manhattan Beach police reported that Levi was struck and killed just after 12:45 a.m. Sunday on South Sepulveda Boulevard. The driver, identified as 33-year-old Jenia Belt of Los Angeles, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of driving under the influence and vehicular homicide. She remained in custody on Sunday.
Tributes quickly filled Levi’s social media pages, as friends, classmates, and others remembered his kindness, leadership, and positivity. Levi had planned to attend the University of Virginia in the fall.
“You never met a stranger,” one friend wrote. “You left an impact on everyone you met. I’m going to live and love as big as you every day.”
Another shared, “It was impossible to be sad or bored when Braun was around. His ability to lift others was unmatched.”
Photos on his social media show Levi enjoying the best of Southern California life — hiking with family in the Sierra, laughing with friends at the beach, posing with actor Adam Sandler, and wearing a pink suit and fedora at a racetrack.
Levi’s death echoes another tragedy at the school: in 2023, Loyola senior and baseball pitcher Ryan Times was killed by a train during spring break.
Loyola varsity tennis coach Brian Held, who also taught Levi in AP Economics and Statistics, described him as “probably the most decorated player to ever play for the school.”
“Braun was an extraordinary leader and a joy to be around,” Held said. “He was loved by everyone — even his opponents. He was that kind of person — unique and special.”
Levi is survived by his parents and older sister.
