Who Was the Woman Who Stabbed Two People Near the Times Square Substation Before Police Opened Fire?

Police have named Pamela Cisneros, a 49-year-old Queens resident, as the woman who stabbed two people near the Times Square substation before police opened fire on Monday afternoon.

Cisneros fatally stabbed a 32-year-old woman and wounded a 68-year-old man in what officials called a random, unprovoked attack around 4:24pm near Seventh Avenue. Officers shot her after she refused to drop two knives and advanced on them. Both she and the female victim died at Bellevue Hospital.

The Attacks Began at a Subway Exit

Cisneros approached a 68-year-old man who had just exited a subway station and stood with his wife waiting to cross the street near West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue.

A witness told investigators she removed two knives from a red Target bag before waving them and stabbing the man in the right side of the abdomen.

Within about 20 seconds she stabbed the 32-year-old woman in the abdomen a block north on West 42nd Street. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the stabbings were random and unprovoked.

The man was taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition. The woman was pronounced dead there. Cisneros then headed north towards the NYPD substation at Times Square as crowds scattered through the busy tourist district on a Monday afternoon in late August.

Four Minutes of Failed De-Escalation

Officers confronted Cisneros behind the substation after witnesses flagged them down. They spent roughly four minutes issuing repeated commands to drop the knives while attempting to talk her down in front of onlookers.

She refused and told officers 'I'm not dropping anything. I would rather kill both of you'.

Multiple officers discharged tasers that proved ineffective as she continued advancing with the weapons raised. Two officers then opened fire, striking her. The shooting was recorded on body-worn cameras. An internal investigation is under way and footage is expected to be released under standard policy.

Tisch described an extraordinarily dangerous situation unfolding in the heart of Times Square with thousands of New Yorkers, commuters and tourists nearby.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani thanked the officers for stopping a worse outcome and said the city's thoughts were with the shattered families of those attacked in the incident.

Pamela Cisneros Background and Investigation

Cisneros had a documented history of mental illness with NYPD contacts in 2018 and 2019 but no previous arrests, according to officials.

Authorities are investigating her mental health history and have found no indication the attack was terrorism-related. Victim identities remain withheld pending family notification.

Times Square Alliance president Tom Harris said hearts went out to the families and praised the swift police response that prevented more injuries. Construction worker Jorge Disla recorded video of the stand-off and recalled officers shouting for her to drop the knives.

A fruit cart worker described seeing the wounded man being treated by his wife with a scarf and paper towels as blood pooled on the pavement nearby the scene.

The male victim remained in stable condition on Tuesday morning as detectives continued to piece together Cisneros's movements before the stabbings from subway cameras and witness accounts. No further public details on her personal circumstances have been released by police.