No signs of foul play in death of Petty Levels, a Philadelphia influencer, Tampa police say

Mia Armaj Bennett, a social media influencer and musician from Philadelphia who rose to prominence with short videos of her freestyling, died in Florida last week, according to state officials and family. She was 23 years old.

Bennett, known online as “Petty Levels,” was found dead on July 19 in Tampa, a police department spokesperson said. Officers responded to the 4000 block of Boy Scout Boulevard, in Northwest Tampa near the airport, around 1:30 p.m. for a report of a deceased individual and found Bennett, the spokesperson said.

The department said there were “no initial signs to suggest that foul play was a factor” in her death, the spokesperson said. The department declined to provide additional information, and due to an ongoing investigation, the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office declined to release the cause and manner of death.

Bennett’s family declined to speak Thursday, asking for privacy as they grieved her sudden death.

The young influencer’s death was announced over social media on Wednesday, leading to a wave of sadness and confusion among her large fan base. Some websites and social media pages had reported that she was killed in Philadelphia, but her family said those rumors were false. They declined to elaborate.

“All these allegations and comments are not true,” a family member, who declined to be named due to privacy concerns, told The Inquirer. “We don’t even know exactly what happened so if everybody could just please bear with everybody on this subject, I’m begging you, please our family is devastated.”

As news of Bennett’s death spread, so did tributes from fans who grew up watching her videos.

In a four year old interview on YouTube, Bennett said she came up with the Instagram account “Petty Levels” when she was a high school freshman. Her followers were initially mostly in Philly but with time Bennett said she saw her reach expand to other cities, eventually amassing more than 1 million followers on Instagram.

Bennett’s social media posts often featured clips of her dancing or visiting places like Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica. She showcased her more adventurous side in clips of her skydiving, surfing, and snowboarding.

Bennett said she began making music and short rap videos around 2018 in which she talked about her love life, often taking digs at men. The lyrics resonated with young women, she said.

“I love getting a rise out of people,” Bennett said jokingly in the interview, explaining how she came up with the “Petty Levels” moniker. “I start putting that in rap videos and girls who feel the same way, they took it and they ran with it.”

So did Bennett using her momentum to try and transition into music with the support of her mom.

“I found my persona, I found what they love,” she said.

Still, Bennett enjoyed showcasing her range. She would often rap to the instrumentals of well-known songs that ranged from melancholic to silly — she once rapped over a beat mirroring “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”

By 2020, Bennett was a feature, along with rapper Latto, on the song “Freak” by Fredo Bang. She also released her own songs, including “Malibu” and “Ain’t It.”

Though Bennett has expressed feeling nervous about making the transition into music, acknowledging it was difficult to leverage a significant Instagram following into an entirely different business, she said she was up for the challenge in her 2019 interview with SayCheeseTV.

“Just know that Petty Levels will not just be an Instagram name,” said a hopeful Bennett. “Sooner or later it will be on the billboards, it will be on your playlists, it will be on the radio, it will be everywhere you go.”

Editor’s note: This article was updated after publication to include a statement from the Tampa Police Department.