A beloved 64-year-old Manhattan supermarket worker died in the aftermath of a scuffle with a shoplifter who tried to flee with a six-pack of Heineken last week, authorities and sources said Monday.

The employee — identified by his family as dad of four Leobardo Hernandez — spotted a thief trying to steal the beer around 9:15 p.m. Friday inside the Morton Williams on Ninth Avenue near West 58th Street, steps from Columbus Circle, cops and sources said. 

When Hernandez confronted the suspect, a “physical altercation” ensued, police said.

Hernandez was punched in the chest during the fracas and was discovered lying on a milk crate inside the store, his sons told WABC.

He was rushed to a local hospital, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries, cops said. 

The cause of his death — and whether criminality is suspected — was not immediately known Monday.

The would-be thief ultimately dropped the beer and fled empty-handed, and was still on the loose Monday, sources said. 

Hernandez’s son, Henry Hernandez, told The Post that he first received a text from his younger brother that his father had been rushed to the hospital, but didn’t want to think it was serious at first.

But after receiving a panicked call from his sister, Henry, 31, rushed to the hospital to meet with the rest of his family. 

“Eventually, I ended up heading to the emergency room to go meet up with my sister, my mom, my brothers. They were waiting for me in order for the doctor to give us the news,” he said of the moment he was told his father had died.

The heartbroken son described his father, who moved to the US from Mexico to pursue the “American dream,” as the “backbone” of their family. 

Hernandez was employed at Morton Williams for over a decade, working the overnight shift while taking on another part-time job during the day.

“My father, let’s just say he was just everybody’s backbone, but he was the one that kept us all together.”

“He made sure everybody was good. He was always looking out for everybody, even people that he didn’t even know. He was just looking out for them,” Henry said. 

The last time he saw his father was on Wednesday, when his parents made a  surprise visit to his apartment. 

“He was the light to everybody here in his family.”

Henry Hernandez claimed police have been tight-lipped about the investigation into the alleged thief whom his father confronted. 

“My mother said that when they [the police] had called, one of the detectives had called her, they basically told her they were investigating, they were checking cameras, and what they pretty much got to see was the commotion … between my father and the person that was trying to rob the store,” Henry described.

“But they didn’t get to see what happened outside the store, because there’s no cameras outside of the store.”

“They [the police] haven’t said anything about the perpetrator to us yet.”

Hernandez’s autopsy indicated he had a slightly enlarged heart, plaque, and previous health issues — and investigators are probing whether stress from the incident was a factor in his death, WABC reported.

Henry said his father “was already not feeling well” when he clocked into his last shift.

The city medical examiner’s office did not immediately respond to a request from The Post. 

Hernandez’s family has launched a fundraiser to help cover his funeral arrangements and the process of flying him to his hometown in Mexico, where he wished to be buried. 

“We are heartbroken by the loss of Leobardo Hernandez, our beloved colleague and a treasured member of our Morton Williams family,” the supermarket chain said in a statement issued to ABC.

“He was a dedicated team member for more than ten years, and our prayers are with Leo’s family and friends at this difficult time.”

Wakefern, the corporation that owns Morton Williams, did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.