VIDEO: Man flung off truck while trying to stop theft

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Unbelievable surveillance video shows a store employee getting flung off the back of a pickup truck as it's being stolen.

The employee is recovering at home so now his boss is focused on finding the guy responsible.

"Hopefully this guy gets caught," said Waseem Kahn, owner of Amigos Food Mart on Glenmont in Southwest Houston.

The theft happened Tuesday afternoon. First, the suspect, wearing a heavy backpack and ball cap walked into the store and waved at the security camera. He spent some time looking around and then tried to cash lottery tickets.

Meanwhile, outside, Kahn had backed in his red Toyota Tundra filled with drinks and other products. Kahn left the keys inside. He says the thief saw an opportunity and jumped in. The employee, identified as Joel Aguilar, jumped in, too.

"He speeds so quickly, he (Aguilar) flies off the car, spins real quick and drops really hard," Kahn explained.

He says Aguilar couldn't hang on. The video shows him hitting the ground hard.

"I thought he passed away," said Kahn, who talked to him after he left the hospital. "He was like, 'I died and came back.' He's like, 'I don't remember anything that happened before or after.'"

Kahn says the man was also asking about jobs before he stole his truck. Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers at (713) 222-TIPS.

"I want him off the street. He could have killed anybody," Kahn said.