Overview

• Leobardo Hernandez, 64, confronted a suspected shoplifter inside the Ninth Avenue store near Columbus Circle on Friday night.
• The encounter occurred around 9:10–9:30 p.m., and he suffered a medical episode roughly two hours later before being pronounced dead at Mount Sinai West.
• Family members say he was punched in the chest and later found lying on a milk crate inside the store.
• Police say the suspect fled and remains at large, the cause of death is undetermined, and they are not ruling out a homicide investigation.
• Morton Williams called him a longtime, beloved employee, and relatives launched a fundraiser to help with funeral and repatriation costs.