This cop really knows how to follow a hot tip.

The quick-thinking second-in-command of a Manhattan police precinct wrested a stolen tip jar from a trio of restaurant robbers after happening upon the crime while trying to grab a bite to eat, police and sources said.

Capt. Arsenio Camilo, executive officer of the 10th Precinct, stopped by Chelsea eatery Matto on his way to work around 2:40 p.m. Friday — only to run into the three brazen youngsters as they grabbed the jar and dashed off.

Surveillance video released by the NYPD shows the captain grabbing one of the thieves outside the restaurant — falling to the ground but never losing his grip on the thief’s sweater as they struggle.

Camilo then pulls the suspect to the ground, but the two accomplices move in to yank the cop off their pal before running away — leaving the spilled tip jar on the sidewalk, video shows.

The investigation is ongoing, according to cops.