QUEENSBORO, NY (PIX11)—
Police are investigating a string of iPhone robberies in Queens and Manhattan along the N train line.
Above ground, near the N Line in Queens, you are hard pressed to not find someone texting or talking on their phone. It might be the reason police say three suspected robbers have been surfing the subway for months.
From December to February, police say 13 victims have come forward to report their phones have been stolen. Four incidents took place in Queensboro near 31st Street and 36th and 39th avenues. There was also one near 5th Ave. and 23rd street in Manhattan, and three at the Prince Street and Broadway station.
Police say the crooks strike when victims are texting or are otherwise distracted, then they yank the phones and run. This is the second reported string of iPhone robberies in a week. Police say they are also looking for a man in Brooklyn who threatened teenagers with a gun and got away with three iPhones.
The men are all in their 20's, around 5'10 to 6'0 tall and 200 lbs. One was wearing a white hooded sweatshirt. Another was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and dark jeans. The last suspect is described as wearing a black American Eagle sweatshirt
Retired NYPD Detective says the phones are being resold on the streets for less than half the store value.
If you have any information you're asked to call crimestoppers 1800 577 Tips.