On Monday, Pamela Cisneros went on a stabbing spree in New York City’s Times Square, killing a woman before being shot and killed by police. The suspect was armed with two knives and repeatedly ignored officers’ commands. Tasers were deployed but proved ineffective. The victim was Bank of America Vice President Erin Piacenti, 32, of Chester, New Jersey (via Fox Business):
A woman reportedly confronted NYPD officers while holding two knives, shortly after she allegedly stabbed multiple people, according to police reports. The scene remains active.
— Citizen NYC (@CitizenAppNYC) August 31, 2026
pic.twitter.com/9xsuT2x6Of
Bank of America Vice President Erin Piacenti was killed during a high-profile stabbing in New York City's Times Square on Monday.
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) identified Erin Piacenti, 32, of Chester, New Jersey, as the deceased victim.
Bank of America acknowledged Piacenti's death in an email obtained by Reuters.
"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 wrote in the email.
Piacenti was one of two people stabbed in the violent attack Monday, the other a 68-year-old male who is now in stable condition, according to the NYPD.
After receiving a 911 call shortly before 4:30 p.m. on Monday, NYPD officers found a 49-year-old woman wielding two knives in Times Square.
The NYPD identified her as Pamela Cisneros, of Queen, New York. Officers shot Cisneros, who was later pronounced dead at the hospital, the department said.
NEW - Bank of America vice president Erin Piacenti, stabbed to death in yesterday's Times Square knife attack that also wounded another person and ended with the suspect shot dead by police — Bloomberg pic.twitter.com/qGmI9Pfnhp
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) September 1, 2026
🚨#BREAKING: Bank of America VP Erin Piacenti was reportedly killed in the Times Square stabbing attack Monday, with investigators saying there is no indication she was specifically targeted.
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) September 1, 2026
'Green Street Hooligans' director cheers murder of mom stabbed in Times Square with Luigi Mangione meme https://t.co/HGVa68l45A pic.twitter.com/XRly29uqBS
— New York Post (@nypost) September 2, 2026
Piacenti had just celebrated her 2nd wedding anniversary and welcomed a baby girl five months ago. The New York Times had more on the attack:
A woman armed with two knives randomly stabbed two people, one fatally, in the middle of crowded Times Square on Monday afternoon before being shot dead by the police when she refused to put down her weapons, the authorities said.
Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said that the police tried to persuade the woman to disarm for four minutes, but that she told officers: “I’m not dropping anything. I would rather kill both of you.”
The mayhem erupted just before 4:30 p.m. Ms. Tisch said that the woman, Pamela Cisneros, 49, walked up to a 68-year-old man who had just exited the subway with his wife. The couple were waiting to cross the street at West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue when Ms. Cisneros pulled the knives from a red Target bag, stabbed the man on the side of his abdomen and headed toward 42nd Street, Ms. Tisch said.
The fatal stabbing came less than 20 seconds later, the police said. Aliou Dieye, a vendor who sells sunglasses and ball caps, said he saw the assailant holding a knife and approaching another woman right in front of his stand.
And to the shock of no one, Pamela Cisneros’ brother said she had a history of mental illness (via NY Post):
The crazed knife-wielding woman who went on a sudden stabbing rampage near Times Square — before being shot dead by police — was a mother of three who long struggled with her mental health and had multiple erratic run-ins with police, her family and sources revealed Tuesday.
Pamela Cisneros, 49, battled what her stunned brother described as bipolar disorder, but had been getting treatment in recent years — and showed no sign she’d go murderously berserk as she did during terrifying random attacks Monday, he said.
“She never showed any aggressiveness or being violent. I don’t know what happened,” Patrick Peralta, 59, told The Post, adding his sister, a Queens native, had found some stability through medication in recent years and reported feeling “fine” as recently as Saturday.
Court records, meandering social media posts, neighbors and sources paint a portrait of Cisneros living an alternately troubled and tranquil life before she chillingly snapped in the heart of Manhattan — slaying a young Bank of America executive and injuring a Rhode Island man who was in town visiting his son.
Starting to get ‘he/she was mentally ill’ fatigue here. Then, keep them out of sight or locked up. I’m done. The whole ‘they’re more likely to injure themselves’ is increasingly looking like a myth, a talking point aimed at coddling people who are obviously too unstable to operate in normal society. And now we have someone dead because of it.
Last note: Cisneros got what she deserved.
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