Bank of America Executive Erin Piacenti Was Killed in the Random Attack, While NYPD Officers Fatally Shot Suspect Pamela Cisneros Moments Later
A random stabbing in the heart of Times Square left a 32-year-old Bank of America executive dead Monday and another man wounded before New York police fatally shot the woman accused of carrying out the attack.
Police identified the woman killed as Erin Piacenti, a Chester, New Jersey, resident who worked as a vice president at Bank of America. The attack unfolded near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue shortly after 4:20 p.m., one of the busiest stretches of Midtown Manhattan.
Piacenti had reportedly just returned to work after maternity leave following the birth of her first child five months earlier. The 32-year-old attorney and banking executive was stabbed in the abdomen and rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where she died. She and her husband were both 2021 graduates of Fordham Law School.
Police identified the attacker as Pamela Cisneros, 49, of Queens.
Police Say Attack Was Random and Unprovoked
According to investigators, Cisneros was armed with two large knives when she first stabbed Tak Kam, 68, in the abdomen before attacking Piacenti moments later. Kam survived and was hospitalized in stable condition.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the violence as random and unprovoked. Police said there was no indication that terrorism played a role.
Officers confronted Cisneros near the Times Square police substation and repeatedly ordered her to drop the knives. Police attempted to use Tasers but were unable to stop her.
Authorities said Cisneros continued advancing toward officers while holding the weapons, prompting two officers to fire. She was taken to Bellevue Hospital and later pronounced dead.
The NYPD’s Force Investigation Division is reviewing the police shooting.
Bank of America mourned Piacenti in a statement following her death.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague,” the company said. “She was a valued teammate who will be greatly missed. Our hearts go out to her family and all of her loved ones.”
Attacker Had Previous Mental Health Encounters With Police
The attack has also brought renewed attention to Cisneros’ history of mental health crises.
Police said Cisneros had previous encounters with the NYPD involving mental health concerns but no arrest record. Authorities said those encounters included an incident in which she apparently attempted to jump in front of a subway train.
Her father, Mario Cisneros, told The New York Times that his daughter had struggled with her mental health for years and that the family had repeatedly tried to help her.
“We tried to help her in every way possible,” he said.
Her family believed Cisneros had recently become stable enough to manage her own mental health appointments.
Her father said he was stunned to learn what had happened.
“What she did just doesn’t make sense,” he said. “It just doesn’t fit.”
He also expressed sympathy for Piacenti’s family.
“I am so sorry, as her father,” he said. “Nobody should take a life. Not God, not a human being. Nobody.”
The circumstances surrounding Cisneros’ previous contact with police are likely to raise broader questions about how people experiencing severe mental health crises are tracked and connected with long-term treatment after emergency intervention.
The Times Square attack comes despite an overall decline in violent crime in New York City and marked the second fatal stabbing in the heavily traveled tourist district this year.
