A 32-year-old Bank of America vice president was fatally stabbed in a random afternoon attack in Times Square on Monday, August 31, 2026, sending shockwaves through Midtown Manhattan.
​The victim, identified by authorities as Erin Piacenti of Chester, New Jersey, served as vice president of business selection and conflicts at Bank of America.
The attack occurred shortly before 4:30 p.m. local time in the bustling intersection of West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue, just blocks away from Bank of America’s Manhattan offices at One Bryant Park.
​According to the New York City Police Department (NYPD), the violence unfolded within a span of roughly 20 seconds. Police stated that the assailant, identified as 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros of Queens, drew two large kitchen knives from a shopping bag near West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue.
Cisneros first attacked a 68-year-old man who had just emerged from the subway, stabbing him in the abdomen. She then moved up Seventh Avenue toward West 42nd Street and fatally stabbed Piacenti in the abdomen.
​Both victims were rushed by Emergency Medical Services to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, where Piacenti was pronounced dead. The 68-year-old male victim was listed in stable condition.
​NYPD officers responding to 911 calls confronted Cisneros, who was still wielding both knives. After an attempt to deploy a Taser failed to subduing her as she advanced toward officers, police fired their weapons, striking Cisneros. She was taken to Bellevue Hospital and pronounced deceased.
​”Our preliminary investigation indicates that this was a completely unprovoked, random double stabbing,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch during a press briefing on Monday evening. Tisch noted that Cisneros had a documented history of mental health incidents with the NYPD but no prior arrest record with the department.
​In a public address, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani expressed his condolences to the victims’ families. “We know that those families’ lives have been shattered by what took place today,” Mamdani said, praising the responding NYPD officers for preventing further harm in the crowded tourist hub.
​Bank of America issued a statement Tuesday mourning the loss of the corporate executive. “We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague,” the company stated. “She was a valued teammate who will be greatly missed. Our hearts go out to her family and all of her loved ones.”
​The investigation into the shooting and the stabbing remains ongoing under the direction of the NYPD Force Investigation Division.
