Bank of America VP Killed in Random Times Square Attack After Celebrating Anniversary and Buying Home

Erin Piacenti, a 32-year-old Vice-President at Bank of America, was fatally stabbed in Times Square after being caught in what police described as a random attack.

Piacenti was killed on Monday afternoon, 31 August, while in one of New York City's busiest areas, just days after celebrating her wedding anniversary and after she and her husband had just bought their first home.

The attack unfolded near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue at about 4:24pm. Police said another person, a 68-year-old man, was also stabbed and taken to a hospital. He survived and was reported to be in stable condition, while Piacenti was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.

Sudden Attack in Midtown Manhattan

Investigators identified the alleged attacker as Pamela Cisneros, 49, from Queens. Jessica Tisch, New York Police Commissioner, said the incident was reported to authorities shortly after 4:24pm on Monday, when 'multiple calls came into 911' to report 'a woman, 'armed with two knives, who was stabbing people along 7th Avenue in Times Square.'

An onlooker told police that Cisneros was seen taking out two knives from a bag located near West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue and approached her first victim, a 68-year-old man who had just left the subway with his wife, Tisch said. Reports say the man sustained a stab wound in the abdomen, but is now in stable condition after being taken to Bellevue Hospital.

In under 20 seconds, Tisch said Cisneros then moved to Seventh Avenue where she stabbed Piacenti also in the abdomen. Witnesses alerted nearby police officers, Tisch said, who then confronted Cisneros as she moved into the centre of Times Square. When officers told her to drop her weapons, Cisneros reportedly told them, 'I'm not dropping anything, I would rather kill both of you.'

Authorities reportedly opened fire after failing to subdue Cisneros with a taser as she brandished the knives and threatened to approach the officers.

Tisch said Cisneros had a 'documented mental health history with the NYPD, with one incident in 2019 and another in 2020.' She had no prior arrest history. Cisneros was taken to Bellevue to be treated but was later pronounced dead, per PEOPLE.

A Life Entering a New Chapter

Piacenti had built a career combining law and corporate work. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016 before earning her law degree from Fordham Law School in 2021. Her LinkedIn profile says Piacenti worked as a vice president in the business selection and conflicts unit at Bank of America.

Reports said Piacenti and her husband, Frank, had recently marked their second anniversary and purchased their first home in Chester, New Jersey.

Bank of America released a statement on Tuesday, confirming the death of a colleague. 'We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague. ​She was a valued teammate who will be greatly missed. ‌Our hearts go out to her ‌family and all of her loved ones,' the bank's statement said, according to The Guardian.

The NYPD is investigating both the stabbing and the subsequent police shooting. Investigators are currently working to establish what prompted Cisneros to attack the victims as Piacenti's family, friends and colleagues mourn her death.