Five Photos of VP Erin Piacenti Who Was Killed in Random New York Times Square Stabbing After Maternity Leave

For Erin Piacenti, returning to work after maternity leave should have marked the beginning of another chapter in a promising career.

Instead, the 32-year-old Bank of America vice president was fatally stabbed in New York City's Times Square on Monday, 31 August 2026.

Police described the attack as random and unprovoked, with Piacenti becoming one of two people attacked during the afternoon rampage.

She had recently celebrated her second wedding anniversary, welcomed a baby and was rebuilding her professional routine when her life was suddenly cut short.

Piacenti Had Recently Returned From Maternity Leave

Piacenti was a new mother who had recently returned to her job at Bank of America following maternity leave, according to US media reports. The timing added another painful dimension to the tragedy, as she had only recently resumed her professional life after welcoming her child.

She and her husband, Frank Piacenti, married in August 2024 and had recently celebrated their second wedding anniversary. Reports also said the couple had recently purchased a home in Chester, New Jersey, where Piacenti lived.

Importantly, Frank was not the 68-year-old man who was also stabbed during the Times Square attack. The second victim was an unrelated man from Rhode Island who was visiting New York and was later reported to have been released from hospital.

Piacenti's family life had been unfolding alongside an accomplished academic and professional career. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016 and Fordham Law School in 2021.

Piacenti's Career From Law to Bank of America

Piacenti had worked in roles connected to Major League Baseball and Morgan Stanley before moving to the law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell. She later joined Bank of America, where she worked as a vice president specialising in business selection and conflicts.

Her Manhattan workplace was only a few blocks from the site of the attack, making the tragedy particularly close to the centre of her professional life.

Fordham Law School also mourned Piacenti, remembering the graduate whose career had combined her legal education with work in the financial sector.

The Times Square Attack

The stabbing happened at around 4:24pm on 31 August near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue in Times Square, one of Manhattan's busiest areas. Other reports placed the incident at approximately 4:30pm.

Police said the attacker, identified as Pamela Cisneros, first stabbed a 68-year-old man before moving towards Piacenti and attacking her. Piacenti was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where she later died from her injuries. The male victim was also hospitalised but survived.

Cisneros was carrying two large knives, which police said she had taken from a shopping bag. Officers confronted her near an NYPD substation and repeatedly ordered her to drop the weapons.

Police attempted to use Tasers to stop her, but authorities said she continued advancing towards officers while armed. Two officers then opened fire, killing her at the scene.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the attacks as random and unprovoked. Authorities have said Cisneros had a documented history of mental health issues, but no motive for the stabbing has been established and police have not classified the incident as terrorism.