Manhattan

“Avatar” is a real hit — even with crooks.

Joe Smith, 48, was busted with a stolen credit card and pepper spray while trespassing in the IMAX theater on the Upper West Side, cops said yesterday.

Smith did not have a ticket for the blockbuster film when he was nabbed at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square Theater on Broadway at West 68th Street at around 9 p.m. Wednesday, police said.

A cop stopped him and recovered the credit card from his wallet, along with a can of pepper spray, authorities said.

Smith was charged with possession of stolen property, criminal trespass and unlawfully possessing or selling noxious material.

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A thief tried to cash a forged $480 check after he ransacked a woman’s Upper West Side apartment, authorities said yesterday.

Robert Jakupaj, 34, allegedly slipped into the woman’s place on West End Avenue near 80th Street on Friday.

He swiped her checkbook, iPod, Social Security card and credit card, before fleeing, cops said.

Jakupaj then allegedly forged the victim’s name on a check and tried to cash it at a Citibank branch nearby.

But bank officials got suspicious and called police, who arrested Jakupaj on charges of burglary, forgery and grand larceny.

Brooklyn

Cops are searching for this man, who vanished from his Bushwick home.

Kenni Rodriguez, 29, who is deaf, was last seen leaving his apartment on Halsey Street near Bushwick Avenue at 8:40 p.m. Friday.

Rodriguez, who is 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds with black hair and brown eyes, was wearing a blue sweater, blue jeans and white sneakers.

Police do not suspect foul play.

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A man was shot to death yesterday after getting into a fight in Coney Island.

The 26-year-old victim clashed for unknown reason with the gunman on West 32nd Street near Mermaid Avenue at about 11:50 p.m. Sunday.

The thug pulled a gun, shot the man in the chest and fled.

The victim, whose name was not released, was pronounced dead at the scene.

It was not clear if he and his killer knew each other.

Queens

Three out-of-towners found out the hard way not to fly with their firearms, cops said yesterday.

The men all attempted to declare their weapons during baggage check-in at La Guardia Airport between Feb. 3 and Feb. 7, cops said.

Ticket agents called police to see if the weapons had been registered in New York state, which they had not been, sources said.

Arrested were Norman Dott, 67, of Lawton, Okla., Frank Rivera, 27, of Dallas, and Kamal Bradai, 34, of Tampa.

All were charged with criminal possession of a weapon, a spokeswoman for DA Richard Brown said.

Staten Island

A sloshed motorist was nabbed for driving the wrong way in Rossville, authorities said yesterday.

Stephen Lombardo, 58, was driving a 2007 Honda against traffic on West Service Road near Arthur Kill Road at around 2 a.m. Wednesday, cops said.

He nearly hit a marked police car, whose emergency lights were on, cops said.

Police quickly pulled over Lombardo, who had slurred speech and reeked of booze, sources said.

A Breathalyzer revealed that his blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit, authorities said.

Lombardo was charged with DWI, according to a spokesman for DA Daniel Donovan.

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Police busted a drug suspect after searching his South Beach apartment.

Cops stormed into the apartment on North Burgher Avenue near North Railroad Avenue on Feb. 9 and found Arthur Castillo, 34, and a child along with the drugs, police said.

They recovered marijuana from a dresser and arrested Castillo on charges of unlawful possession of marijuana and endangering the welfare of a child.