Times Square stabbing: Bank of America VP Erin Piacenti among victims

NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch said the attack appeared to be random and unprovoked. Police said officers arriving at the scene encountered Pamela Cisneros, 49, who was brandishing two large knives and advancing towards them

A 32-year-old vice-president at Bank of America was killed in a stabbing incident in New York’s Times Square. The attack, described by police as “random” and unprovoked, unfolded on Monday afternoon.The victim was identified as Erin Piacenti, who was walking home from work when she was attacked near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue. Piacenti had recently returned to work after becoming a mother and had shared a photo of herself with her newborn daughter and husband four days before the stabbing.A 68-year-old man was also stabbed in the attack and was in stable condition, according to police. The attacker, identified as 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros, was shot and killed by officers after she advanced towards them while carrying two large knives.Who was Erin Piacenti?Piacenti was a vice-president in Bank of America’s Business Selection and Conflicts unit and had joined the company around 18 months ago, according to an internal memo and her LinkedIn profile.Matthew Koder, Bank of America’s president of Global Corporate & Investment Banking, described Piacenti as a “cherished teammate and friend” in an internal memo.“Erin was a valued member of the Business Selection and Conflicts team, having joined the bank 18 months ago,” Koder wrote. “Her loss is being felt deeply by many.”Bank of America confirmed Piacenti’s death and expressed condolences to her family.“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 said in a statement.Piacenti had earned a law degree from Fordham Law School, graduating in 2021 alongside her husband, Frank, according to the school. Fordham Law said in a statement it was heartbroken by her death.Bank of America’s Manhattan office is located at One Bryant Park, just a few blocks from the site of the stabbing.How the incident unfoldedNYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the attack appeared to be random and unprovoked. Police identified the attacker as Pamela Cisneros, 49, of Queens.According to Tisch, Cisneros pulled two knives from a shopping bag, stabbed the 68-year-old man and then attacked Piacenti. When officers arrived, they found Cisneros brandishing two large knives and advancing towards them.Officers used a stun gun and tried to persuade her to drop the weapons for several minutes, but she refused. Tisch said Cisneros told officers she “would rather kill” them. Two officers then shot her, and she was later pronounced dead.

Tisch said Cisneros had a documented mental health history, with police encounters related to mental health in 2018 and 2019, but no arrest record in New York City.Cisneros’ brother, Patrick Peralta, told Gothamist that she had psychiatric problems for decades but was not aggressive. He said she had been taking medication and had been doing better in recent years, working on and off in a legal office.“We really don’t know how to express or how to explain why this happened,” Peralta told Gothamist, expressing sympathy for Piacenti’s family and the injured man.Koder said Bank of America’s security teams were “fully engaged in supporting the police investigation here, and in addressing the ongoing safety and security of our offices and teammates”.