#NYC phone-snatch victim gets clever payback on thief

A dimwitted thief with a long rap sheet swiped a man’s cellphone on a Manhattan train late Tuesday — and then was busted when the victim lured him by promising to buy it back, cops said. 

Kevin Cooper, 57, grabbed the 20-year-old victim’s phone as he sat on a northbound E train near 34th Street-Penn Station just after 11 p.m., police said.

He ran off after the theft, cops said. 

But when the victim called the stolen phone, Cooper actually answered — and the two men planned to meet up at West 4th Street, where the victim said he would buy the phone back, police said. 

But Cooper had no idea that the victim was coordinating with cops — who showed up there too and arrested him around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, cops said. 

Cooper, of the Bronx, was charged with grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property and criminal possession of a controlled substance, authorities said. 

He was found in possession of two ziplock bags holding alleged crack cocaine and an apparent crack pipe.

Cooper has 52 prior arrests — most of them for drug possession — including his most recent bust back in August, cops said. 

He has also previously been arrested for assault, robbery, petit larceny and criminal trespass, police said.