A Bank of America vice president was fatally stabbed in an incident on Monday in Times Square, New York, the financial giant confirmed to Reuters in a statement.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague. She was a valued teammate who will be greatly missed. Our hearts go out to her family and all of her loved ones,” the U.S. banking giant said Tuesday, referring to Erin Piacenti, 32, who had served as vice president of the business selection and conflicts unit at the bank since February 2025, according to her LinkedIn profile.
At a press conference on Monday, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said a woman wielding multiple knives had stabbed two people before being shot by police.
According to the New York Police Department, when several officers ordered her to drop the knives she replied: “I’m not dropping anything, I’d rather kill both of you.” She then threatened them again: “I will kill you.”
The second person injured in the attack was a 68-year-old man who on Monday was reported to be in stable condition at a New York hospital. Piacenti, however, suffered far more serious abdominal wounds and was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital.
A ‘senseless attack’
Officers identified the attacker as Pamela Cisneros, 49, a Queens resident. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Monday that all indications were that Cisneros had a history of mental health problems. She stabbed the two victims about 20 seconds apart and then moved toward Seventh Avenue.
The incident began after 4.00 p.m., a busy hour in the tourist square.
Aliou Dieye, a local vendor, told The New York Times that he saw the woman, in a pink T-shirt and carrying several knives, stab another woman directly in front of the stand where he sells sunglasses and caps, between Seventh Avenue and 41st Street in the heart of Times Square. “She didn’t say anything,” the vendor said. “She walked up to her and stabbed her in the stomach.”
Police said officers found Cisneros as she was walking away from the scene and tried to persuade her to drop the knives. Tisch said several officers used their Taser stun guns, but they did not incapacitate her and she kept advancing. That prompted the two officers on the scene to fire their weapons and wound her, authorities said.
At a Monday news conference, Tisch described the incident as a “senseless attack.” Videos on social media showed Cisneros surrounded by about a dozen police officers.
The commissioner told Reuters on Tuesday that the investigation into the incident is ongoing and is being led by the NYPD’s Detective Division.
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