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NYPD Secures Times Square After Deadly Stabbing on August 31, 2026 | Source: Getty Images
Bank of America VP Erin Piacenti Killed in Times Square After First Day Back at Work — and the Milestone She’d Just Celebrated
Erin Piacenti’s first day back at work after five months of maternity leave ended with a trip through Times Square she never got to finish. The 32-year-old Bank of America vice president was heading home Monday afternoon when a random stabbing attack suddenly turned a routine journey into a fatal encounter.
According to the New York Post, Erin had returned to work that week after spending five months caring for her newborn daughter. She had been building a promising career in banking after establishing herself in the legal world, while she and her husband, Frank Piacenti, had recently entered another stage of their young family life.
But her return to work ended in horror when she and a 68-year-old man were caught in the same random stabbing attack, leaving Erin dead and the other victim hospitalized.
Police secured the Times Square scene after the stabbing attack that left one victim dead and another injured. The confrontation ended with officers shooting Pamela Cisneros after attempts to stop her with Tasers failed. | Source: Getty Images
The two victims had no apparent connection to each other; they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time when Pamela Cisneros allegedly began attacking people near one of New York City’s busiest intersections.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the stabbings as “random and unprovoked.” She added, “One life, cut far too short by a senseless act of violence.”
The violence had already begun before Erin became a target.
The Man Who Was Stabbed First Was Heading Home to Rhode Island
According to police, Pamela first approached Tak Kam, 68, of Rhode Island, near West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue and stabbed him with a kitchen knife as he was heading toward a Rhode Island-bound Amtrak train after visiting his son in Brooklyn.
She then moved north toward Times Square, where roughly 20 seconds later she encountered Erin and stabbed her in the abdomen.
Tak survived the attack but remained hospitalized Tuesday. His son, a Citigroup vice president, did not return calls seeking comment, according to the New York Post.
NYPD crime scene investigators worked behind police tape after the violence near Seventh Avenue in Times Square. The police response later drew questions from Cisernos’ family, including her mother’s pointed question about why officers did not grab her by the arm. | Source: Getty Images
A Promising Career Was Just Getting Started for Erin
Before her death, Erin had built an impressive professional résumé spanning corporate banking, law and Major League Baseball.
She joined Bank of America in February 2025 as a vice president on the Business Selection & Conflicts team. Before that, Erin worked as an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell and completed a seven-month secondment at Morgan Stanley’s Legal & Compliance Division.
Her legal career had begun taking shape while she was still in school. Erin worked as a legal intern with Major League Baseball from May through August 2019 and later joined Davis Polk as a summer associate. She also worked at Bloomingdale’s and held internships with Saks Fifth Avenue before moving into law.
Her academic record was equally strong. Erin graduated from Fordham University School of Law in 2021 magna cum laude and was a member of the Order of the Coif. She participated in the Fordham Law Review and Fordham Moot Court Board and received a Legal Writing Award.
Before law school, Erin earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016.
Her Life Outside the Office Was Changing, Too
The professional achievements were only part of Erin’s story. Away from the office, she and Frank were building a family of their own. The couple married in August 2024 after meeting while attending Fordham Law. Wedding photographs showed them smiling and holding hands after their ceremony in Long Beach Island, New Jersey.
Five months before Erin’s death, the couple welcomed a baby girl. Erin then spent five months on maternity leave caring for her newborn before returning to work that week.
A social media post highlighted how grateful Erin was for that time with her daughter. She also noted that the baby had recently been baptized and that the family had traveled together to Long Beach Island, Maine, and Rhode Island.
But there was another recent milestone in Erin and Frank’s life together. They had marked their second wedding anniversary on Aug. 10, just three weeks before Erin was killed.
People also reported that Erin and Frank had purchased their first home in Chester, New Jersey, in September 2025.
Frank had built a high-powered legal career of his own, clerking for federal judges before joining Kasowitz, where he specializes in complex commercial litigation, according to his professional biography. The couple had, in a relatively short time, built a life around a marriage, a first home and a new baby. Erin’s return to work seemed to mark the beginning of yet another chapter.
She Had Once Seen Times Square From a Very Different Place
There was also an unexpected connection between Erin’s past and the place where her life ended. According to the New York Post, nearly 14 years before her death, Erin posted a photo on Facebook showing herself in The Crossroads of the World as she prepared to begin college at the University of Pennsylvania. At the time, she was Erin Guiltinan, her maiden name.
The young Erin studied political science at Penn and gleefully sang in a campus a cappella group, according to social media posts and videos. After graduating in 2016, she attended Fordham Law alongside Frank. The couple graduated in 2021, and the university later remembered Erin as a cherished member of its law-school community.
“We are heartbroken to learn of the tragic and senseless loss of our alumna, Erin (Guiltinan) Piacenti,” a Fordham spokesperson said. “Erin and her husband, Frank, graduated in 2021 and have been cherished members of the Fordham Law family. During this devastating time, our thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathies are with Frank, their families, and all who knew and loved Erin.”
Bank of America Remembered a Valued Teammate
Erin’s professional life had also left a lasting impression on the colleagues she worked alongside. She spent 18 months on Bank of America’s Business Selection & Conflicts team, where many employees spoke with her every day, according to an internal email obtained by the New York Post.
Matthew Koder, president of Global Corporate & Investment Banking, addressed Erin’s death in the message. “Her loss is being felt deeply by many,” Matthew wrote. He called the incident an “unacceptable and horrible incident” and described it as a heartbreaking loss for Erin’s family, loved ones and everyone who knew her.
A Bank of America spokesperson also expressed the company’s grief. “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,” spokesperson John Yiannacopoulos said.
Those tributes came as more details emerged about the ordinary trip that Erin had been making after her first day back at work — and how quickly it turned deadly.
As we previously reported, the violence had started moments earlier near West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue, setting off a confrontation that would last several tense minutes before police opened fire.
Erin Piacenti had worked as a vice president on Bank of America’s Business Selection & Conflicts team since February 2025. The bank later described her as a valued colleague whose loss was being felt across her team. | Source: Getty Images
Police Faced a Four-Minute Standoff
After stabbing Erin, Pamela continued north on Seventh Avenue while still carrying both knives. She encountered police officers between 42nd and 43rd streets, where officers repeatedly ordered her to put down the weapons. The confrontation lasted about four minutes, according to Jessica.
“I’m not dropping anything. I would rather kill both of you,” Pamela said, according to Jessica. Officers deployed Tasers, but they appeared to have no effect. Pamela then advanced toward the officers, prompting two officers to open fire.
“This was an extraordinarily dangerous situation unfolding in the heart of Times Square, the crossroads of the world,” Jessica said. Pamela was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Police said Pamela had documented mental health-related contacts with the NYPD dating to 2018 and 2019, according to NBC New York. She had no criminal history and was described by police as emotionally disturbed.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani defended the officers’ response. “I want to thank the NYPD officers who stepped in and prevented a horrific attack from becoming even worse,” Zohran said, according to The Guardian. The police shooting will be investigated, as is standard following an officer-involved shooting in New York.
Why the Tasers May Not Have Stopped Her
The confrontation raised another question: why did the stun devices fail to incapacitate Pamela? Retired NYPD detective and Taser expert Artur Sadowski told the New York Post that several factors may have interfered with the devices’ effectiveness. Tasers generally need both probes to make effective contact to complete an electrical circuit and disrupt muscle control.
In this case, one probe struck the purse wrapped around Pamela’s body, while another appeared to hit her stomach. “She may have felt pain or muscle cramping in her abdomen but not enough to stop her from advancing,” Artur said.
Pamela’s family, meanwhile, has questioned aspects of the confrontation while describing a woman they said had never shown signs of becoming violent.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed the Times Square violence after police shot Pamela Cisneros during the confrontation. He thanked the responding officers, while the police shooting is subject to an investigation. | Source: Getty Images
Her Family Said the Violence Was Completely Unexpected
Pamela’s half-brother, Patrick Peralta, told Fox 5 New York that although Pamela had mental health problems, the family had not seen signs that she would become violent.
“Yeah, she had mental problems. There were no signs this would have happened,” Patrick said. “This was all of a sudden because she’s never been violent.” Her mother, Maria, also questioned the police response. “There were so many police. Why didn’t they grab her by the arm?” Maria asked.
Pamela’s father, Mario, said he knew his daughter was receiving monthly medication injections for a mental illness but did not know what she was experiencing internally.
“I knew my daughter very well, but I didn’t know what was going on with her. What I do know is she was getting injections,” Mario said in an interview with ABC7 New York. According to the outlet, Mario said Pamela had been receiving monthly medication injections before the attacks. He said he had seen her the week before and that she appeared fine.
“We don’t understand because the situation reversed,” Mario said.
Patrick Added More About Pamela’s Behavior Before the Attack
In a separate interview with the New York Daily News, Patrick said he had never known her to harm anyone other than herself before Monday’s attack. “I don’t know what was in her head,” Patrick said. “I can’t tell you what she was thinking or if she just completely went blank. I don’t know where that rage came from.”
Patrick and Pamela grew up together with their mother in Jackson Heights. He remembered Pamela as a “happy-go-lucky kid” who followed him around when she was about 5.
Her mental health problems developed about two decades ago, after she gave birth to the second of her three daughters, Patrick said. “She went off track after that,” he recalled.
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Pamela’s middle daughter is autistic and nonverbal and lives in a Brooklyn group home, where Patrick said Pamela visited her often. Her other two daughters live in Florida with their father, Pamela’s ex-husband.
Pamela was living alone in Woodside and had recently returned to work. After being unemployed for some time, she landed a job as an administrative assistant for a lawyer about three months before the attack, according to Patrick.
The family was accustomed to seeing Pamela regularly. She usually ate dinner with their parents almost every night, but that routine changed shortly before the attack.
Patrick last saw her on August 8 for their father’s birthday. Their mother spoke with Pamela on Saturday, and Patrick said Pamela told her she was fine. There was also a disturbing detail in Pamela’s social media history.
A Troubling Facebook Post Had Appeared Months Earlier
In a lengthy Facebook post on November 30, 2025, Pamela wrote about what she believed were signs of “the end times.” Among them, she cited “the disminished [sic] love of people to the point of stabbing others for no reason.”
Later in the same post, Pamela wrote that “the battlefield is in your mind” and referred to people hearing voices telling them “to either kill someone or themselves.” She attributed those thoughts to Satan and urged readers to reject them and turn to God.
Patrick eventually learned what had happened in Times Square after seeing cellphone footage on the news. “I was shocked,” he said. “I’m still numb. I saw it on the news last night. Something told me that she looks like my sister.”
Patrick contacted Midtown South and provided his information. He said police called him back by about 7:30 p.m. The following night, Patrick had to break the news to Pamela’s two daughters in Florida over the phone. He also had a message for the people affected by the attack.
“My entire family feels so sorry for the two people, the one that passed away and the one who was hurt,” Patrick said. “We are so sorry. We never thought this would happen.”
For Erin’s family, colleagues and friends, the facts of that Monday afternoon remain especially painful because of how much life she had been building.
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