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A woman armed with two knives attacked two people near West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue on Monday afternoon, sending emergency crews into the heart of Times Square.
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Erin Piacenti, 32, suffered stab wounds and later died at Bellevue Hospital. She worked as a vice president in the bank’s Business Selection and Conflicts unit.
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Officers spent several minutes ordering Pamela Cisneros to drop her weapons before using a Taser and then opening fire when she advanced towards them.
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NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the attack as random and unprovoked, while investigators continue to examine what led to the stabbing.
September 02, (THEWILL) — A busy Monday afternoon in Times Square turned deadly when a woman armed with two knives attacked two strangers, killing a 32-year-old Bank of America vice president and leaving another man injured.
Erin Piacenti died at Bellevue Hospital from her wounds after the August 31 attack, according to the New York Police Department.
Bank of America confirmed her death on Tuesday, and Bloomberg News first identified her as one of the victims.
Piacenti worked as a vice president in Bank of America’s Business Selection and Conflicts unit, according to her LinkedIn profile.
She also earned a law degree from Fordham Law School in 2021.
Police identified the attacker as 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros of Queens. Around 4:30 p.m., Cisneros approached a 68-year-old man near West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue and stabbed him in the abdomen as he stood with his wife waiting to cross the street, according to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Piacenti became the second victim moments later. Both victims went to Bellevue Hospital. She later died, while the male victim survived.
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Inside the Times Square Attack
Police officers confronted Cisneros near the scene shortly after the stabbings. She carried two large knives and refused repeated orders to put them down.
Officers spent about four minutes trying to get her to surrender before deploying a Taser.
When it failed to stop her and she moved towards the officers with the knives, police opened fire.
Cisneros later died from her injuries. The NYPD Force Investigation Division is reviewing the police shooting.
Tisch described the stabbing as “random and unprovoked.” Authorities have not announced a motive or indicated that the attack had any connection to terrorism.
For Bank of America, the attack happened remarkably close to its Manhattan operations.
The bank’s main New York office sits at One Bryant Park, just a short distance from the site of the stabbing.
“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.”
Piacenti’s death has also brought renewed attention to safety in an area that receives enormous numbers of visitors every day.
Times Square remains one of New York’s busiest pedestrian corridors, and the attack unfolded beside a police substation in the middle of the afternoon.
The incident comes as New York continues to grapple with high-profile acts of violence in Midtown Manhattan.
In December 2024, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed near West 54th Street and Sixth Avenue. Luigi Mangione later pleaded guilty to federal charges arising from that killing.
The two cases have no known connection. Police have instead characterized the Times Square stabbing as an apparently random assault.
For now, investigators are focused on reconstructing what happened in the seconds between Cisneros’ first attack and the police shooting that ended the confrontation.
Piacenti, a young lawyer who had built a career at one of America’s largest banks, was caught in an attack that police say had no apparent target. She did not survive.
Joy Onuorah is a business journalist and brand communications specialist covering financial markets, artificial intelligence, digital economy, and the ideas reshaping business across Africa and the global market. Beyond her reporting for TheWill, Joy uses brand strategy, storytelling, copywriting, and high-value SEO to help brands build lasting market authority.
