BROOKLYN/QUEENS (PIX11) — The NYPD is searching for a band of criminals who are violently robbing straphangers along the ‘J’ line in Brooklyn and Queens.

The first mugging was on Friday, May 8. Cops say at about 2 p.m., a 25-year-old woman was sitting aboard a northbound ‘J’ train approaching the Jamaica Avenue and 121st stop when a male suspect pulled out a knife and forcibly took her cash and a MetroCard from her hands.

Then on Sunday close to 2 a.m., an 18-year-old man was riding a northbound train approaching the Jamaica Avenue and 111th Street station when four suspects, three men and a woman, approached him, brandished a knife and punched him in the face. The thieves made off with his iPhone 6 and a shopping bag containing a jacket, Gucci belt and Jordan sneakers. The victim suffered swelling to his face.

Just moments after, cops say a 47-year-old man was watching a movie on his iPhone 5 on a northbound train approaching the Fulton Street and Cleveland Street station when one of the suspects demanded his phone. When the victim refused, the robber punched him in his face, while another pulled out a knife and stole the phone. The victim ran from the station, but the suspects stayed aboard the train.

Suspect #1 is described as black, in his 20’s, with dreads, wearing a black hooded sweater. Suspect #2 is described as black, in his 20’s, wearing an orange t-shirt. Suspect #3 is described as black, in his 20’s and approximately 6’2″ tall. Suspect #4 is described as black, in his 30’s, approximately 5’4″ tall and 140lbs. Suspect #5 is described as black and she was carrying a black jacket, concealing the knife under the jacket.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.