Influencer arrested after uploading Target video allegedly showing her stealing items

This article was one of Herald Lifestyle’s best-read stories of 2024. An influencer who has hundreds of thousands of followers has been arrested after a video she posted online backfired spectacularly, landing her in cuffs. US social media star Marlena Velez posted a “get ready with me” video on TikTok to her 349,000 followers, a popular trend where people take snapshots of what their day-to-day life is like.

But the 22-year-old made a big blunder in the video. Police in Florida had shared a wanted photo on social media of a woman with dark hair wearing glasses, a tan shirt and matching pants leaving Target with a trolley full of stolen goods..