Bank Executive Killed in Times Square Attack After Returning From Maternity Leave

A Bank of America executive was fatally stabbed Monday in New York City’s Times Square, just days after sharing photos of her newborn daughter and only one week after returning to work from maternity leave.

According to Fox News, Erin Piacenti, 32, of Chester, New Jersey, was attacked near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue.

She was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to the NYPD.

Piacenti had spent five months caring for her newborn daughter before returning to Bank of America, per The New York Times.

Four days before her death, she posted a photo with her baby and husband, Frank Piacenti, and also shared moments from the child’s recent baptism and the family’s travels.

Police said another person, a 68-year-old man, was stabbed in the abdomen during the same attack. He was taken to Bellevue, and his condition was listed as stable.

Authorities identified the suspect as Pamela Cisneros, 49, of Queens.

Police said Cisneros approached the man near West 41st Street while carrying two large knives, after the man had exited a subway station and was waiting to cross the street with his wife.

A witness told investigators that Cisneros pulled the knives from a red Target bag before attacking the man.

Cisneros then moved north along Seventh Avenue and stabbed Piacenti, with the two attacks occurring about 20 seconds apart, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

Officers later confronted Cisneros while she was still holding both knives. Police said she ignored repeated orders to drop the weapons and remained in a standoff with officers for roughly four minutes.

When Cisneros advanced toward officers while waving the knives, police used Tasers, but they were ineffective. Two officers then fired their weapons, killing Cisneros.

“Our officers were confronted with a rapidly evolving threat, with countless innocent people around them,” Tisch said.

Tisch described the attack as random and unprovoked. Police said Cisneros had mental-health-related encounters with the NYPD in 2018 and 2019, but no previous arrest record with the department, and investigators found no indication that terrorism was involved.

Bank of America confirmed Piacenti’s death, calling her “a valued teammate who will be greatly missed.”

Piacenti earned her law degree from Fordham University School of Law in 2021 alongside her husband, according to the school. Fordham Law said it was heartbroken by the death of its former student.

The NYPD’s Force Investigation Division is reviewing the police shooting. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said body-worn camera footage from the encounter will be released.

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