Key Takeaways
- Police say 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros randomly stabbed Bank of America vice president Erin Piacenti, 32, and a 68-year-old man in Times Square.
- NYPD officers used a Taser and then opened fire after Cisneros approached a police substation carrying multiple large knives and refused orders to drop them; Cisneros and Piacenti died, while the man remained hospitalized in stable condition.
- Investigators found no connection between Cisneros and the victims or a clear motive, and the NYPD Force Investigation Division is reviewing the officers’ use of force.
A woman fatally stabbed in a broad-daylight attack that sent crowds scrambling through Times Square has been identified as Erin Piacenti, a 32-year-old Bank of America vice president. The NYPD said Piacenti and a 68-year-old man were attacked without warning Monday afternoon near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue, transforming one of New York City’s busiest intersections into a sprawling crime scene.
According to Crain’s, the violence began around 4:24 p.m. on August 31, when police say 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros approached the two victims carrying multiple large knives. Both were stabbed before Cisneros headed north toward the NYPD substation in Times Square, where responding officers ordered her to drop the weapons.
Police said she refused, prompting officers to deploy a Taser and then open fire. Cisneros and Piacenti were later pronounced dead. The NYPD said the male victim was hospitalized in stable condition, though earlier reports described him as critical.
Piacenti worked in Bank of America’s business selection and conflicts unit. Her office at One Bryant Park sits just blocks from where she was killed.
Video and images from the scene quickly circulated online, showing armed officers, emergency vehicles and barricades occupying a stretch of Midtown normally packed with commuters and tourists.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague,” Bank of America said in a statement. “She was a valued teammate who will be greatly missed. Our hearts go out to her family and all of her loved ones.”
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said investigators believe the Times Square stabbing was random and unprovoked. Police initially received a report of a knifepoint robbery, but investigators later said there was no apparent connection between Cisneros and the victims and no clear motive for the attack.
The NYPD described Cisneros as having a history of mental health issues and said she appeared emotionally disturbed during the encounter. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a press briefing that Cisneros had been carrying multiple large knives when she stabbed the two victims.
The officers’ use of force is now under review by the NYPD Force Investigation Division, which routinely examines incidents in which police gunfire causes injury or death. Traffic between West 42nd and West 47th streets was restricted as investigators processed the scene.
The attack has renewed scrutiny of public safety in Midtown, despite recent citywide declines in violent crime. The NYPD reported that major crime fell 12.7 percent and that New York recorded its fewest murders, shooting victims, and shooting incidents for the first seven months of the year.
July’s 59 shootings also marked a new monthly low, down from 75 during the same month in 2025.
