Say JFK theft susp got tix and took off with duty-free loot

THE CASSINI spacecraft on a mission to explore Saturn began its first pass around the planet on Wednesday.

The roughly 70,000-mph run is the first of 22 the vessel will make between Saturn and its rings — a 1,500-mile-wide gap, according to NASA.

Cassini, launched in 1997, HE’S GOT a ticket to steal.

Port Authority police busted an ex-con who bought airline tickets just so he could snatch thousands of dollars worth of perfume from duty-free shops at Kennedy Airport, officials said Wednesday.

Investigators busted Eric Love, 50, after they connected him to three thefts inside Terminal 4.

His airport spree started Jan. 23 when he allegedly stole 18 bottles of Tom Ford, Hugo Boss and Gucci perfumes from a duty-free shop near the terminal gates, officials said.

Love breezed into the shop after going through security and slipped the perfume bottles into a covered opening on his nearlyempty carry-on bag, according to police.

He returned to the same shop on April 2 and stole 12 more bottles of perfume, according to Port Authority Police spokesman Joseph Pentangelo.

He was back on April 14, when he stole six more bottles of perfume from the same shop, then went to a Hudson News store near gate B20 in Terminal Four and stole 18 Fitbit watches, according to cops. The high-tech watches were valued at more than $4,000.

Police say Love stole a total of 52 bottles of perfume worth $14,000 during his three trips, Pentangelo said. will make its final run on Sept. 15 before making a death plunge into the gas-filled planet and crashing.

A Twitter account for Cassini reported early Wednesday that the spacecraft would lose contact with Earth as it made its first pass.

“This is it! Through the gap between #Saturn and its rings. Instruments are on, but we’re out of contact with Earth. Here we goooooo!” the NASA-run account stated.

It’s losing contact because Cassini will use its dish-shaped antenna as a shield, according to NASA.