Erin Piacenti, a 32-year-old executive at Bank of America, was fatally stabbed in broad daylight in Times Square, New York City, on August 30, marking a rare and violent incident in one of the city’s busiest public spaces. Piacenti had just returned from five months of maternity leave and was on her way home to New Jersey when she was attacked.
According to eyewitness accounts and police reports, the assailant, identified as 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros, approached Piacenti near a street vendor on West 43rd Street carrying two kitchen knives and stabbed her in the abdomen. Piacenti was rushed to a Manhattan hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Cisneros also attacked a second individual moments earlier. Authorities said that around 4:30 p.m., less than half a minute before the fatal stabbing of Piacenti, Cisneros stabbed 68-year-old Tak Kam, who was waiting to cross the street at West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue. Kam, a visitor from Rhode Island in New York City to see his son, was hospitalized in stable condition at Bellevue Hospital.
Following the attacks, police officers confronted Cisneros near a substation on West 43rd Street and attempted to persuade her to disarm. She reportedly refused and threatened officers, saying, “I would rather kill both of you,” according to Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. Despite officers deploying Tasers twice, Cisneros charged at them and was subsequently shot and killed by two officers. Commissioner Tisch praised the officers’ response, describing the event as an “extraordinarily dangerous situation” unfolding in the “crossroads of the world.”
Cisneros resided in Queens and had a documented history of mental health issues, with prior encounters with police. In December 2018, officers found her intoxicated and belligerent on Lexington Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, and in March 2019, she attempted suicide by trying to jump in front of a subway train at a Queens station.
Erin Piacenti, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and 2021 Fordham Law School alumna, had just started her first week back at work following maternity leave. She worked in Bank of America’s business selection and conflicts division. The firm expressed shock and sorrow over her death, extending condolences to her family and colleagues.
The fatal stabbing marked one of the few homicides in the Midtown South Police Precinct this year, which includes Times Square. Police data show two murders in the precinct so far in 2023, the same number as during the corresponding period in 2022, with felony assaults marginally down by 5 percent from last year.
While such violent incidents remain uncommon in Times Square, other attacks in high-profile Midtown locations have raised concern. In April, a man armed with a machete injured three people at Grand Central Station, and in June, a stabbing at Penn Station resulted in seven injuries, none life-threatening.
The attack resonated with residents in nearby New Jersey communities, including Chester Township where Piacenti lived. Many commuters expressed increased unease about traveling into New York City amid recent events, highlighting concerns about public safety in heavily trafficked areas.