Bank of America Vice President Killed in Random Times Square Knife Attack

A Bank of America vice president has been stabbed to death in what police described as a random knife attack in New York City’s busy Times Square.

Erin Piacenti, 32, from Chester, New Jersey, was fatally stabbed in the abdomen on Monday afternoon while walking near W. 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue.

Piacenti worked as vice president for Business Selection and Conflicts at Bank of America. The bank’s headquarters is located about a block from where she was killed.

She was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she was a member of Penn Dischord, an a cappella singing group.

Friends and family had recently marked a happier milestone in Piacenti’s life. Social media posts showed her walking down the aisle with her husband, Frank, in August 2024, with the couple having recently celebrated their second wedding anniversary.

Police identified the alleged attacker as 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros of Queens, who they said had a history of mental illness.

According to authorities, Cisneros took two kitchen knives from a Target shopping bag and began attacking people at random.

At about 4:24pm, police said she stabbed a 68-year-old man in the abdomen as he waited with his wife to cross W. 41st Street near Seventh Avenue. The man survived the attack.

About 20 seconds later, Cisneros allegedly moved towards W. 42nd Street, where she stabbed Piacenti in the abdomen.

Piacenti was pronounced dead following the attack.

Cisneros was later confronted by police near an NYPD substation around W. 43rd Street, leading to a tense four-minute stand-off.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Cisneros refused to drop the knives and threatened officers, telling them: “I’m not dropping anything. I would rather kill both of you. I will kill you.”

Officers attempted to stop her with a Taser, but police eventually opened fire, killing Cisneros.

Videos recorded by bystanders appeared to show the woman swinging the knives and charging towards officers. The footage captured the sound of the Taser before several gunshots were heard.

The attack has left colleagues, friends and family mourning Piacenti, whose life was cut short while she was in one of New York City’s busiest and most recognisable locations