Family Mourns Manhattan Supermarket Worker After Fatal Confrontation

The family of a 64-year-old supermarket employee from Manhattan who died after confronting a thief has expressed their sorrow, emphasizing that he wasn’t a hero, despite his actions. They had advised him—often—against intervening during such incidents.

Leovaldo Hernandez’s loved ones shared that, although they often suggested he let security handle issues at the Morton Williams supermarket in Columbus Circle, he felt compelled to help others and couldn’t seem to accept doing otherwise. His son, Henry Hernandez, 31, recounted a conversation in which they urged him to step back, saying, “Dad, if you want to take the store, that’s not what they want.”

Henry noted that his father always felt it was his duty to step in when he saw someone in trouble, even if it put him in harm’s way.

On the night of the incident, Leovaldo was working a night shift at the Ninth Avenue store when a thief attempted to steal a six-pack of Heineken. According to police reports, Hernandez confronted the man, leading to a physical confrontation.

During the struggle, the thief managed to push Hernandez away, leaving him collapsed on a milk crate inside the store. Unfortunately, he was later pronounced dead at the hospital, while the assailant remains at large.

“Work is work, life is life,” Henry reflected. “You can lose your job and find another, but losing your life, that’s different. We’re still trying to process this. It’s not just sad; it makes you angry.”

The family of the deceased shared that Leovaldo and his wife, Hortencia, 44, immigrated from Mexico 30 years ago, striving for a better life and pursuing the American dream. Hailing from Oaxaca, he had worked for Morton Williams for nearly a decade and supported his family in various roles to provide for their four children and grandchildren.

One colleague from Morton Williams expressed frustration over the incident, wishing for the shoplifter to be caught. “It’s getting worse out there,” he said. “They’re using knives and guns. It’s unsettling.”

He described the thief as someone whose face was obscured by a black mask, adding, “The laws seem to be lenient. If it’s not a significant amount, they might just let them go.”