Manhattan
***
Two shoplifters exited an Upper West Side store with more than $3,000 worth of unpaid-for merchandise, authorities said.
Joseph Melendez allegedly put the items in a bag at Theory, on Columbus Avenue near 69th Street, as accomplice Kenneth Wimberly, 47, chatted up an employee at about 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, court records show.
A second employee saw the two leave without paying, and cops found them on a bus, authorities said.
Melendez was in possession of six swiped pairs of pants and a stolen bag, and Wimberly had another stolen bag, the records say.
Each was charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.
Brooklyn
***
A Borough Park man having some friends over was fatally stabbed just outside his home, police said.
A brawl erupted in the apartment on 40th Street near 13th Avenue at about 11:30 p.m. Friday, and Obedeo Tum was stabbed once in the stomach after it spilled into the street, police sources said. EMTs pronounced him dead at the scene.
What sparked the fight was not immediately clear, and there had been no arrest by last night, cops said.
***
A teenager punched a city bus driver in the face in East Flatbush, cops said.
Gerald Joseph, 17, allegedly slugged the 50-year-old driver on the B46 at about 5:15 p.m. Thursday at Utica Avenue near Avenue D, cops said.
Joseph took off, but officers scanning the area soon spotted him and took him in, authorities said.
The driver was treated for minor injuries at Kings County Hospital, and Joseph was charged with felonious assault, cops said.
***
Cops are on the hunt for three thugs (one of whom is pictured above) suspected of sticking up a Brownsville chicken joint.
One flashed a black and silver gun and demanded cash from a worker at the Pitkin Avenue Crown Fried Chicken at 11:20 p.m. on Oct. 3, cops said.
He grabbed an undisclosed sum of money and took off, heading south on Thatford Avenue with his accomplices in a Chevrolet Impala, authorities added.
The gunman was described as bearded and wearing a black sweatshirt and basketball shorts, authorities said.
The other two suspects were described only as wearing gray hoodies.
Queens
***
Cops are seeking the public’s help in finding this missing teen.
Kevin Celestin, 18, was last seen at home on 88th Avenue near 104th Street in Jamaica at about 9 a.m. Thursday, cops said. He had on a green T-shirt, blue jeans, and tan boots.
He stands 5-11 and weighs 180 pounds.