Heartbroken family of new mother, 32, killed at random in Times Square shares emotional statement
Erin Piacenti, a 32-year-old Bank of America vice president, was fatally stabbed in a brutal, random attack in the center of Times Square. Her grieving relatives have now shared an emotional statement about the life she was beginning to build.
Chaos broke out on Aug. 31 in Times Square when Pamela Cisneros, a 49-year-old Queens resident, allegedly removed two large kitchen knives from a Target bag and assaulted two people she did not know.
The Associated Press reported that the violence began just before 4:30 p.m. near West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue. The location was beside an NYPD substation and immediately outside One Times Square.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Cisneros initially approached Tak Kam, 68, and stabbed him on the right side of his abdomen. She then continued in the direction of West 42nd Street. Kam was taken to a hospital and survived, despite the wounds to his abdomen.
Times Square attack
Only seconds afterward, Erin Piacenti, 32, was stabbed as well. The Bank of America executive later died as a result of her injuries.
Piacenti’s relatives said the attack happened on her first day back at her job following maternity leave. She and her husband had been preparing for their future with their 5-month-old daughter, leaving the family overwhelmed by the sudden loss. They have requested privacy as they endure this painful period.
A GoFundMe campaign established after the horrifying incident explains that motherhood had been Erin’s dream throughout her life, and that Madison brought her more happiness than anything else.
The fundraiser says the manner of Erin’s death should not define her; what mattered was how she lived. It describes her as profoundly committed to relatives and friends, exceptionally intelligent and successful, and a person whose warmth and vitality touched everyone around her.
They were preparing for a future with their new daughter
Erin and Frank married in 2024. The page says they marked their second wedding anniversary during the summer and had recently come home from a family road trip before her death. Together, they were getting ready to create a life with their new baby girl. In a single incomprehensible moment, that planned future was transformed.
Her family added that Erin’s professional achievements represented only a small part of the person she truly was. Those closest to her knew a considerate daughter and sister, a steadfast friend, Frank’s devoted partner in every area of his life and, most recently, an extraordinarily loving mother to Madison.
Police shot and killed Pamela Cisneros, 49, following the attacks. Once Cisneros went down, officers placed her in handcuffs, turned her onto her back and administered first aid. She was subsequently declared dead.
Tisch, speaking to ABC News, characterized the episode as a random and unprovoked assault and said an exceptionally dangerous emergency had been developing at Times Square, often called the crossroads of the world.
Pamela Cisneros was fatally shot by police
Cisneros had previously come to the NYPD’s attention because of what Tisch called a documented history of mental-health interactions with the department. However, police records showed no prior arrests by the NYPD.
Afterward, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the affected families had seen their lives shattered by the day’s events. According to AP, he said the city would continue holding those families close through the coming hours, days and weeks.
The mayor also expressed gratitude to the NYPD officers whose intervention kept an already horrifying attack from becoming still worse. He said such action reflected what the department’s women and men do each day to protect New Yorkers.
Erin Piacenti’s death has left her relatives, friends and loved ones grieving a life ended just as she entered a new chapter of motherhood. Our thoughts and prayers remain with Erin’s family, everyone who loved her and all those touched by this devastating tragedy.
