Worker Dies After Confronting Potential Shoplifter In Manhattan, Police Say

HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — An employee died of a medical episode in the hours after confronting a potential shoplifter while at work at a grocery store in Manhattan, New York City Police Department officials said.

The employee, 64-year-old Leobardo Hernandez, confronted a man trying to shoplift on the evening of Sept. 26, at the Morton Williams Supermarkets at 917 Ninth Ave., between West 58th Street and West 59th Street, according to several reports.

The man suffered a medical episode around two hours after the incident, at around 9:19 p.m., police said.

Medics rushed Hernandez to a local hospital, but he could not be saved, police said.

Police said it was likely cardiac arrest, but the official cause of death has not yet been determined by the medical examiner's office.

"My father was a kind and hardworking man who always put his family first, someone who touched the lives of everyone he met with his warmth and generosity. His passing has left a hole in our lives that can never be filled," his children wrote on a fundraiser for his burial.

There are no arrests yet and the investigation is ongoing, police said.

This is a developing story and will be updated. For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.