NJ Transit says a man survived after he was shocked while trying to steal overhead rail wires Wednesday.

NJ Transit spokeswoman Nancy Snyder says the man fell onto the lines at Roseville Avenue in Newark around 4 a.m.

The suspect has been identified as 41-year-old Eric Vega of Newark.

He was taken to a hospital.

Today’s incident follows a rash of bizarre thefts of people trying to make a quick buck.

The Post exclusively reported yesterday that city sanitation cops are on the lookout for paper thieves, following a dramatic rise in the value of the recyclable material, officials said.

Cops with the city’s Department of Sanitation this year have already impounded 49 vehicles — mostly vans and small, rented moving trucks — for allegedly being used to pilfer bags of mixed paper off the streets.

Last week, The Post also reported on the increase in metal-recycling thefts, with trash-pickers looting curbs for items like old dishwashers.

Earlier this month, there was a rash of manhole-cover thefts, apparently for scrap metal.

“Manhole bandit” Andrew Modica allegedly stole more than two dozen of the covers in Brooklyn and Queens to feed his heroin addiction.