Police said two strangers were attacked within seconds before officers confronted the knife-wielding woman near an NYPD substation.
NEW YORK CITY, NY — A woman armed with two knives stabbed two strangers in Times Square on Monday afternoon, killing a 32-year-old Bank of America vice president and wounding a 68-year-old man before police fatally shot the attacker, authorities said.
The woman who died was identified Tuesday as Erin Piacenti of Chester, New Jersey. Police identified the suspected attacker as Pamela Cisneros, 49, of Queens. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said investigators believe the Aug. 31 stabbings were random and unprovoked. The surviving victim was hospitalized in stable condition Tuesday, while the NYPD’s Force Investigation Division continued reviewing the officers’ use of deadly force.
The episode began shortly after 4:20 p.m. near West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue, according to police. Tisch said Cisneros approached the 68-year-old man after he and his wife had exited the subway and were waiting to cross the street. A witness told investigators that Cisneros removed two knives from a shopping bag and then stabbed the man. He was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue.
Police said Cisneros then continued north on Seventh Avenue toward West 42nd Street and approached Piacenti. She stabbed Piacenti about 20 seconds after the first attack, according to Tisch. Piacenti was also taken to Bellevue, where she was pronounced dead. Authorities have not publicly identified the 68-year-old man.
Piacenti was a vice president in Bank of America’s business selection and conflicts unit. The company said in a statement that it was shocked and deeply saddened by her death and described her as a valued colleague. Bank of America’s New York offices at One Bryant Park are a short distance from Times Square.
Witnesses alerted nearby police officers, who encountered Cisneros on Seventh Avenue between West 42nd and West 43rd streets, near an NYPD substation. Tisch said officers spent about four minutes ordering her to drop the knives. Police said she refused and threatened the officers as they tried to persuade her to surrender the weapons.
Officers then used Tasers, but the devices did not stop Cisneros, according to police. Tisch said Cisneros continued advancing toward officers while holding the knives, and two officers fired their guns. Cisneros was struck and taken to Bellevue, where she died. Police said both knives were recovered. The confrontation was recorded by officers’ body-worn cameras.
Tisch said Cisneros had documented mental health-related contacts with the NYPD in 2018 and 2019 but no arrest history with the department. Officials did not provide further details about those earlier contacts, and police have not announced a motive beyond describing the two stabbings as apparently random and unprovoked. Authorities said there was no indication that the attack was connected to terrorism.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Monday night that officers prevented the violence from becoming worse in the heavily traveled Times Square area. The mayor said the police shooting would undergo the department’s standard review and that body-worn camera footage from the confrontation would be released publicly. Police increased their presence in Times Square after the attack, and streets that had been closed during the investigation later reopened.
The investigation remained active Tuesday. The NYPD Force Investigation Division is examining the police shooting, while detectives continue investigating the circumstances surrounding the two stabbings. No additional victims had been announced, and the 68-year-old man remained in stable condition.
Author note: Last updated Sept. 1, 2026.