A woman fatally stabbed in the stomach in Times Square on Monday was identified as 32-year-old Bank of America executive Erin Piacenti, according to police and reports.
Piacenti and a 68-year-old man were both stabbed by a woman during a “random and unprovoked assault” around 4:30 p.m., NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said during a Monday, August 31, news conference, per Business Insider.
The woman, Pamela Cisneros, used two knives pulled out from a red Target bag to stab the man in the stomach before attacking Piacenti within seconds, according to police. The man, who had just got off the subway with his wife, survived the stabbing and was taken to a hospital.
Piacenti was also transported to a hospital where she was declared dead as a result of the assault, Business Insider reported.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague,” a rep for Bank of America said in a statement, The Journal News reported. “She was a valued teammate who will be greatly missed. Our hearts go out to her family and all of her loved ones.”
Piacenti was a Bank of America vice president for business selection & conflicts, her LinkedIn profile shows. She joined the company in February 2025.
Following the stabbings, Cisneros, 49, was shot by police after she allegedly ignored orders to let go of the two knives she had been armed with, according to Tisch, per The Journal News.
“I’m not dropping anything. I would rather kill both of you,” Cisneros said to the officers, Tisch said.
Police initially used tasers on Cisneros before opening fire, according to Tisch. Cisneros ultimately died of her gunshot wounds at a local hospital.
“Tonight, our thoughts are, of course, with the victims of this horrific attack and their families. One life cut far too short by a senseless act of violence,” Tisch said at the news conference.
The NYPD was familiar with Cisneros, as she had “documented mental health history,” according to Tisch.
Piacenti, who was also a lawyer, lived in Chester, New Jersey, where she recently bought her first home with her husband, Frank, according to property records viewed by PEOPLE.
The NYPD Force Investigation Division continues to investigate the stabbings, according to Reuters.
“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,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at the news conference, according to The Journal News.
