NJ mom fatally stabbed in Times Square during first week back at Bank of America after maternity leave
A 32-year-old Bank of America executive who had just returned from maternity leave was fatally stabbed Monday afternoon in Times Square, while a second victim, a 68-year-old man, survived the same attack. The woman suspected of carrying out both stabbings was shot and killed by police after refusing to drop her weapons.
The deceased was identified by the NYPD as Erin Piacenti, 32, of Chester, New Jersey. According to The New York Times, Piacenti was in her first week back at work following the birth of her daughter, whom she and her husband, Frank Piacenti, had recently welcomed after five months of parental leave. Just four days before the attack, Piacenti posted on social media about her child's baptism and shared photos from family travels during her time off.
Bank of America confirmed Piacenti's death in an emailed statement to Reuters, expressing the company's grief over the loss of one of its employees.
"We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague," the bank said. "She was a valued teammate who will be greatly missed."
Piacenti graduated from Fordham University School of Law in 2021 alongside her husband. The law school said it was heartbroken by news of her death and described her as a promising former student whose life was cut short.
The violence began shortly after midday near West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. The first victim, a 68-year-old man, had just emerged from a subway station with his wife and was waiting to cross the street when a woman, later identified as Pamela Cisneros, 49, of Queens, approached him. Investigators said a witness reported that Cisneros drew two large knives from a red Target shopping bag before attacking the man, stabbing him in the abdomen.
About 20 seconds later, Tisch said, Cisneros moved north on Seventh Avenue and stabbed Piacenti near West 42nd Street, fatally wounding her. The two attacks were separated by roughly half a block and occurred in quick succession amid the dense lunchtime crowds of Midtown Manhattan.
Both victims were transported to Bellevue Hospital, where Piacenti was pronounced dead. The 68-year-old man was listed in stable condition.
Officers on patrol in the area encountered Cisneros while she was still armed with both knives. According to Tisch, the suspect ignored repeated commands to disarm and engaged officers in a standoff that lasted approximately four minutes. When she advanced on the officers while waving the blades, police deployed Tasers, but the devices failed to subdue her. Two officers then opened fire.
"Our officers were confronted with a rapidly evolving threat, with countless innocent people around them," Tisch said at a later briefing.
Cisneros was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Both knives were recovered at the scene.
Tisch characterized the attack as random and unprovoked. Police records show that Cisneros had documented mental health-related encounters with the NYPD in 2018 and 2019, though she had no prior arrest history with the department. Investigators said there was no indication the attack was motivated by terrorism.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said body-worn camera footage from the officer-involved shooting would be released. The NYPD's Force Investigation Division is reviewing the use of force, as is standard in any police shooting.
The fatal encounter has cast a heavy shadow over one of the most heavily trafficked intersections in the United States, leaving a family, a workplace and a university community grappling with a sudden and senseless loss.
