32-year-old Erin Piacenti, a vice president at Bank of America, was brutally stabbed to death in the middle of Times Square. Now, her family has released a heartbreaking statement.
On Aug. 31, in the heart of Times Square, chaos erupted when Pamela Cisneros, a 49-year-old woman from Queens, allegedly pulled two large kitchen knives from a Target shopping bag and attacked two random people.
The Associated Press (AP) reports that the attack happened shortly before 4:30 p.m. near West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue, beside an NYPD substation and just outside One Times Square.
According to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Cisneros first approached 68-year-old Tak Kam and stabbed him in the right side of the abdomen before continuing toward West 42nd Street. He was rushed to the hospital and survived despite suffering injuries to his abdomen.
Time Square attack
Seconds later, 32-year-old Erin Piacenti, a Bank of America vice president, was also stabbed. She tragically died from her injuries.
According to Piacenti’s family, it was her first day back at work after maternity leave. She was “preparing to build a life” together with her husband and their 5-month-old daughter, and now her family is left heartbroken. They have asked for privacy during this difficult time.
A GoFundMe page was launched following the horrific attack, and the page states: “Becoming a mother was Erin’s lifelong ambition, and Madison gave her the greatest possible joy.
“Erin’s life was defined not by the circumstances of her death, but instead by the way she lived.
“Erin was deeply devoted to her family and friends, exceptionally bright and accomplished, and was someone who brought warmth and energy to the people around her.”
“Were preparing to build a life together with their new daughter”
The couple married in 2024.
“Erin and Frank celebrated their second wedding anniversary this summer, had just returned from a family road trip upon her passing, and were preparing to build a life together with their new daughter,” the page reads.
“That life changed incomprehensibly in an instant.”
The family then added: “Erin’s career accomplishments .. speak to only a small portion of who she was.
“To the people who knew and loved her, Erin was a thoughtful daughter and sister, a loyal friend, a devoted partner and companion in every aspect of Frank’s life, and, most recently, an incredibly loving mother to Madison.”
Pamela Cisneros, 49, was shot and killed by police after the attack. After Cisneros fell to the ground, police handcuffed her, rolled her onto her back and provided first aid. She was later pronounced dead.
“This was an extraordinarily dangerous situation unfolding in the heart of Times Square, the crossroads of the world,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said of the “random and unprovoked” attack, per ABC News.
Pamela Cisneros was fatally shot by police
Cisneros was already known to the NYPD through what Tisch described as a “documented mental health history with the NYPD,” although she had no arrest history with the department.
After the attack, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said: “We know that those families’ lives have been shattered by what took place today, and we will continue to hold them close as the hours and days and weeks continue from this moment,” according to AP.
“I want to thank the NYPD officers who stepped in and prevented a horrific attack from becoming even worse,” the mayor said.
“This is what the men and women of this department do every single day to keep our city safe.”
The tragedy has left Erin Piacenti’s family, friends and loved ones mourning a life that was cut short just as she began a new chapter as a mother. Our thoughts and prayers are with Erin’s family, her loved ones and everyone affected by the devastating attack.
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