By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
NEW YORK (Worthy News) – A 32-year-old Bank of America vice president has been identified as the woman killed in an apparently random stabbing attack in New York City’s Times Square that also wounded a 68-year-old man.
Erin Piacenti, of Chester, New Jersey, died after being stabbed in the stomach Monday afternoon, while the male victim was hospitalized in stable condition, police said.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague,” Bank of America said, describing Piacenti as a “valued teammate.”
New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the violence as a “random and unprovoked attack.”
TIMES SQUARE ATTACK
Police identified the attacker as 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros of Queens, who allegedly pulled two large knives from a bag and stabbed the 68-year-old man in the abdomen shortly after he emerged from the subway with his wife.
About 20 seconds later, Cisneros allegedly stabbed Piacenti near Seventh Avenue and West 41st and 42nd streets, in one of the world’s busiest tourist districts, where roughly 200,000 to 250,000 pedestrians pass on a typical day.
Officers confronted Cisneros and spent several minutes trying to persuade her to drop the knives. Tisch, citing body-camera footage, quoted her as telling police: “I’m not dropping anything. I would rather kill both of you.”
After stun guns failed to subdue her and she continued advancing with the knives, two officers opened fire, Worthy News established from video footage obtained of the confrontation.
POLICE DEFEND RESPONSE
“This was an extraordinarily dangerous situation unfolding in the heart of Times Square, the crossroads of the world,” Tisch said. “Our officers were confronted with a rapidly evolving threat with countless innocent people around them.”
Cisneros and both stabbing victims were taken to Bellevue Hospital, where Cisneros and Piacenti were pronounced dead.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani defended the officers’ response, saying, “I want to thank the NYPD officers who stepped in and prevented a horrific attack from becoming even worse.”
Police said Cisneros had a documented history of mental health-related encounters with the NYPD in 2018 and 2019 but no previous arrest record.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
