More details are emerging of a TikTok star's criminal history. The Cape Coral Police Department confirmed 22-year-old Marlena Velez was arrested as a teenager for stealing a car, among other arrests.
It comes as CCPD said Velez was arrested Thursday after posting a video of herself shoplifting $500 worth of merchandise from a Target in Cape Coral. The video, which went viral, served as crucial evidence for Cape Coral Police to track her down and make an arrest.
CCPD confirmed Velez was arrested in October 2019 and charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle when Velez was 17 years old.
Amanda Santana, Velez's former high school friend, says Velez stole her car, unraveling their high-school friendship. Santana says their bond began in an Ida Baker High School classroom.
"She had a class with me, and we kind of connected there. We also went on an Orlando trip to Halloween Horror Nights," Santana said.
Just a week after that trip, Santana said things took a drastic turn. One morning, Santana said Velez asked her to sit in her car during class until lunchtime.
Trusting her friend, Santana said she handed over the keys.
"I went to the parking lot, and I'm looking around for my car, and I can't find it, so I actually, like double-checked, looked on every side, and I was like, where is my car?" she said.
Hours later, Santana said Velez was nowhere to be found.
"We figured out that she went and crashed my car and totaled it into a ditch at a Dunkin' on Cape Coral Parkway," Santana said.
The 2019 car theft marked the beginning of Velez’s alleged run-ins with the law.
In July 2023, records show Velez was arrested again, this time for shoplifting from a Walmart off Del Prado Boulevard in Cape Coral.
The report said video footage captured "a female, later identified as Marlena Velez, in the self-checkout under ringing items by scanning one item, then placing another item underneath the scanned item..."
The CCPD report said she stole a total of $63 in kitchen items. In April 2024, CCPD records show Velez pleaded no contest to the charges.
Records show she completed an anti-theft course and was on probation for six months until last month.
However, on Thursday, police say Velez struck again, shoplifting hundreds of dollars worth of household items and clothing from the Target on Pine Island Road.
Santana says the arrest comes as no surprise, given what she’s witnessed over the years.
“I was going through nursing school, working my butt off, and she’s out there living her best life, splurging,” Santana said. “There's a restitution that she has not paid for. And actually, not even a dime that she has paid for."
Her advice? “Never believe social media.”
NBC2 reached out to a phone number registered to Velez. A woman identifying herself as Velez’s sister declined to comment and said she would not ask Velez if she wanted to provide a statement.
This case is still under investigation. Stay with NBC2 for updates.