The heartbroken family of a 64-year-old supermarket employee in Manhattan, who tragically lost his life following a confrontation with a would-be beer thief, had cautioned him against playing the hero — but he did not listen.
Leobardo Hernandez’s family frequently advised the devoted father of four to allow store security to handle incidents involving shoplifting at Morton Williams located at Columbus Circle. However, the industrious immigrant had a strong desire to assist others and couldn’t simply ignore wrongdoing, as shared by his family with The Post.
“We warned him many times,” his son, Henry Hernandez, 31, recounted on Tuesday. “When we’d drive together, he often shared stories about incidents he had witnessed, such as, ‘This happened, and that happened.’ We would tell him, ‘Dad, you aren’t the security. Let the store handle it. If someone wants to rob it, that’s not your problem. Just let them go.’
“He would always respond, ‘No,’” Henry said. “For him, it just wasn’t right. My father was the type of person who could not stand by if he saw an injustice. He would step in, no matter if he knew you or not, if he sensed that something was wrong.”
Leobardo Hernandez, who worked overnight shifts at the Ninth Avenue supermarket, was working late on Friday around 9:15 p.m. when a thief attempted to steal a six-pack of Heineken beer.
The employee confronted the thief and became involved in a “physical struggle” with the assailant, according to reports from the police.
The assailant punched Hernandez in the chest and fled the scene without the beer — leaving the older man collapsed on a milk crate inside the store, where he was later found unresponsive.
Authorities declared him dead at the hospital, while the suspect remains at large, as per police updates.
“A job is just a job, but a life is irreplaceable,” Henry Hernandez said. “You can lose a job and find another, but losing a life is permanent. We’re still grappling with the devastating reality of what occurred. It’s not just tragic; it’s infuriating.”
The family revealed that Leobardo Hernandez and his wife of 44 years, Hortencia, emigrated from Mexico three decades ago, hoping to realize “the American Dream.”
The couple hailed from Oaxaca, with Leobardo contributing to the family by working at Morton Williams for about a decade, in addition to juggling other jobs to support his children and four grandchildren.
“I want that guy caught,” said one employee at Mason Williams referring to the fleeing shoplifter. “The streets are becoming increasingly dangerous. People are wielding knives and even guns. It’s not safe out there.”
“The thief was wearing a black mask that covered his face up to his eyes, so identifying him was impossible,” the employee added. “The law is pretty lenient; if the stolen goods don’t amount to a certain value, they are frequently released.”
