Grieving family of new mother, 32, killed randomly in Times Square releases moving tribute
Bank of America vice president Erin Piacenti, 32, was stabbed to death in a horrifying random assault at the center of Times Square. Her devastated family has since released a deeply emotional statement about her.
On Aug. 31, disorder erupted in the heart of the tourist district when Pamela Cisneros, a 49-year-old Queens woman, allegedly took two large kitchen knives out of a Target shopping bag and attacked two strangers.
According to reporting by the Associated Press, the violence began shortly before 4:30 p.m. close to West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue. It happened next to an NYPD substation and immediately outside One Times Square.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Cisneros approached Tak Kam, 68, first and stabbed the right side of his abdomen. She then moved on toward West 42nd Street. Kam was transported to a hospital and survived his abdominal injuries.
Times Square attack
Within seconds, Cisneros also stabbed Erin Piacenti, 32, an executive at Bank of America. Piacenti later died from the wounds she sustained.
Her relatives said it had been Erin’s first day at work since returning from maternity leave. She and her husband had been preparing to create a future with their 5-month-old daughter. The sudden loss has crushed the family, which has asked to be left in privacy while coping with this painful period.
Following the terrible attack, supporters created a GoFundMe page. Its tribute explains that Erin had dreamed of becoming a mother throughout her life and that Madison gave her the greatest joy she had ever experienced.
The page urges people to remember Erin for the life she led, rather than for the circumstances in which she died. It portrays her as exceptionally bright and accomplished, deeply dedicated to friends and relatives, and someone who brought warmth and lively energy to those around her.
They were ready to build a life with their new daughter
Erin and Frank were married in 2024. The fundraiser says they celebrated their second anniversary this summer and had only recently returned from a road trip with the family when she died. They were looking ahead to building their life with their new daughter when everything changed in an instant that the family described as impossible to comprehend.
Her loved ones emphasized that Erin’s achievements at work revealed only one small piece of who she was. For the people who truly knew her, she was a caring daughter and sister, a faithful friend, Frank’s devoted partner and companion through every part of life and, most recently, a remarkably loving mother to Madison.
Police fatally shot Pamela Cisneros, 49, after the stabbings. Once she had fallen, officers handcuffed Cisneros, turned her over onto her back and attempted first aid. She was later declared dead.
Commissioner Tisch told ABC News that an extraordinarily dangerous event had been developing in Times Square, known as the crossroads of the world. She characterized the attack as both random and unprovoked.
Pamela Cisneros was killed by police
Cisneros was not unknown to the NYPD. Tisch said the department had a documented history of mental-health-related contact with her, though Cisneros had never previously been arrested by the agency.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said afterward that the lives of the affected families had been shattered by the day’s events. AP quoted him saying the city would continue to keep them close in the hours, days and weeks that followed.
Mamdani also thanked the NYPD personnel who intervened and stopped an already appalling attack from growing even worse. He said protecting the city in this way is what the department’s men and women do every day.
Erin Piacenti’s relatives, friends and loved ones are now mourning a life taken just as she entered a new season as a mother. Our thoughts and prayers are with Erin’s family, everyone close to her and every person affected by this devastating attack.
