Bank of America VP Erin Piacenti, 32, Killed in Random Times Square Attack Weeks After Second Wedding Anniversary

A 32-year-old Bank of America vice president who had celebrated her second wedding anniversary only weeks earlier has been identified as the woman killed during a sudden, apparently random attack in the heart of Times Square.

Erin Piacenti, of Chester, New Jersey, was attacked near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue on Monday afternoon, August 31. Police said another passerby, a 68-year-old man, was also injured moments earlier in what NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch described as two “random and unprovoked” attacks.

The suspect, identified as 49-year-old Queens resident Pamela Cisneros, was later confronted by NYPD officers while still carrying two knives. Police said officers repeatedly ordered her to put them down and attempted to use Tasers before two officers opened fire as she advanced toward them. Cisneros was later pronounced dead.

A promising career cut short

Pamela Cisneros is seen holding the knives before she charges at NYPD officers. She was fatally shot moments later.@bboypop97/Instagram

Piacenti had built an impressive career in New York’s financial and legal sector.

She worked at Bank of America as a vice president in its Business Selection and Conflicts unit. The bank subsequently described her as a valued member of its team.

Piacenti graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016 and later attended Fordham University School of Law, graduating in 2021, according to information reported from her professional profile.

Beyond her career, another detail made the timing of her death particularly poignant: Piacenti had marked her second wedding anniversary on August 10, just three weeks before the Times Square attack.

Two attacks within seconds

The incident unfolded shortly before 4:30 p.m. in one of Manhattan’s busiest tourist districts.

According to Commissioner Tisch, the first victim, a 68-year-old man, had just exited the subway and was standing with his wife near West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue.

Investigators said Cisneros removed two knives from a red shopping bag before approaching the man and injuring him in the abdomen. She then continued north along Seventh Avenue.

Roughly 20 seconds later, police said, she encountered Piacenti near West 42nd Street and attacked her in the abdomen as well. Authorities said there was no apparent connection between Cisneros and either victim.

Both victims were rushed for emergency treatment. Piacenti died from her injuries, while the 68-year-old man was reported in stable condition and expected to survive.

Police confrontation unfolds in Times Square

Officers responding to emergency calls soon encountered Cisneros still holding the two knives.

Police said officers spent several minutes ordering her to drop the weapons. During the confrontation, Cisneros allegedly threatened the officers and continued waving the knives.

Tisch said officers initially attempted to stop her with Tasers, but they were ineffective. When Cisneros advanced toward officers, two officers fired their service weapons.

Cisneros was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The NYPD said Cisneros had no prior arrest history but had been involved in documented mental-health-related incidents in 2018 and 2019. Authorities said there was no indication that the Times Square incident was connected to terrorism.

Investigation remains underway

The confrontation with police was recorded on officers’ body-worn cameras, and authorities said the footage is expected to be released as part of the review of the shooting.

The NYPD’s Force Investigation Division is continuing to investigate the officers’ use of force as well as the circumstances surrounding the two attacks.

The case has drawn particular attention because of how quickly the violence unfolded in one of New York City’s most crowded public spaces: police say the two victims were attacked within approximately 20 seconds, apparently without warning and without any known relationship to their attacker.

For Piacenti’s family and colleagues, the incident has also put a name and a life behind the initial reports of an unidentified 32-year-old victim — a New Jersey woman with a growing professional career whose death came only weeks after celebrating a personal milestone.