A 32-year-old Bank of America vice president was killed Monday afternoon in New York City when an emotionally disturbed woman started stabbing people in the heart of Times Square, authorities said.
Erin Piacenti, of Chester, New Jersey, was stabbed in the abdomen, according to the New York Police Department.
She was pronounced dead at a hospital a short time after the attack in the tourist-heavy area near West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue.
Bank of America confirmed Piacenti was a vice president within Business Selection and Conflicts in Global Corporate and Investment Banking.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague. She was a valued teammate who will be greatly missed,” the bank said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to her family and all of her loved ones.”
Fordham University confirmed to NBC News that Piacenti and her husband, Frank, graduated from its law school in 2021.
“During this devastating time, our thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathies are with Frank, their families, and all who knew and loved Erin,” a university spokesperson said.
NBC News could not immediately reach Piacenti’s husband for comment Tuesday, and her father said the family does not have any comment.
The victim and her husband recently celebrated their second anniversary, following their August 2024 nuptials in Long Beach, New Jersey, according to social media postings from loved ones.
Katie Guiltinan, her cousin, told NBC News on Tuesday that she hopes the attention is focused on Piacenti rather than the suspect.
“It’s unbelievable,” said a tearful Guiltinan. “She was wonderful.”
Police say Pamela Cisneros, 49, the Queens woman shot dead by police after she killed Piacenti and stabbed a 68-year-old man during the afternoon spree, had a documented history of mental health concerns.
A witness told police that the woman took the knives out from a red Target bag before she approached the couple. After she waved the weapons around, the woman stabbed the 68-year-old man, who had just come out of the subway with his wife, in his side, authorities said.
She then went up a block and attacked Piacenti, authorities said. The stabbings happened about 20 seconds apart, they said.
The stabbings are believed to be random and unprovoked, with no apparent connection to organized terrorism, according to law enforcement sources. The male victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where, police said Tuesday, he is stable.
“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,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
Following the two stabbings, Cisneros continued up Seventh Avenue, where she encountered police between 42nd and 43rd streets, police said. She was still armed with both knives, they said.
Officers spoke to her for four minutes, telling her to drop the knives, but she refused, police said.
The officers fired stun guns at her, which did not appear to be effective, police said. Cisneros then advanced toward the officers, two of whom opened fire at her, they said. She was taken to the hospital, where she died.
The police department had a documented history of mental health concerns regarding Cisneros dating to 2018 and 2019, but she had no criminal history, Tisch said. Both knives she is believed to have used were recovered at the scene.
