Home Depot worker, 83, dies after being tossed aside by shoplifter

An 83-year-old North Carolina Home Depot worker has died — weeks after he was tossed to the ground trying to stop a “menace to society” shoplifter still on the loose.

Gary Rasor is seen on surveillance footage stepping up to confront a man wheeling three Ryobi pressure cookers out of the Hillsborough store Oct. 18 — only to be shoved to the ground by the crook who then casually strolls away.

Rasor was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he celebrated his 83rd birthday and made hopeful plans to see his new grandchild for the first time, his wife told WNCN.

He died Thursday “due to complications from the injuries received,” Hillsborough cops announced the next day.

The North Carolina medical examiner has ruled the death a homicide, police said, adding the hunt continues for a suspect they previously branded a “menace to society.”

“It’s just beyond our comprehension that someone would do this for a couple of power washers,” Rasor’s son Jeff Rasor told WNCN.

“That is just mind-boggling,” he said.

Rasor’s widow, Yovone, told the outlet her husband initially remained “upbeat” in the hospital — until he saw footage of the attack.

“He lost it … he just lost it,” she recalled.

“It’s just hard, and I know it sounds silly, but I’m still waiting for him to come back home,” she said through tears Saturday. “I can’t get him back … that’s it.”

Hillsborough Police Department

Hillsborough Police Department

Police told the outlet the larceny is now being investigated as a possible homicide.

Meanwhile, police continue their search for the 6-foot-tall suspect, who wore a black mask and black Calvin Klein hoodie, and fled in a white Hyundai Sonata with an obscured temporary North Carolina tag.