A BROAD-DAYLIGHT STABBING in Times Square killed Erin Piacenti, a 32-year-old Bank of America vice president, on Monday after a woman carrying several large knives attacked two people in one of New York City’s busiest tourist districts.
The stabbings occurred at about 4:24 p.m. near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue. New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said they appeared random and unprovoked.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the woman stabbed two people before officers confronted her. Police used a Taser and fired their weapons during the encounter.
Authorities identified the suspect as Pamela Cisneros, 49. Police said she had a history of mental health issues. Cisneros was killed as officers responded to the attack.
The police shooting has placed the case under an internal review. The NYPD said in a statement: “The investigation remains ongoing by the NYPD Force Investigation Division.”
Piacenti worked in Bank of America’s business selection and conflicts unit, according to her LinkedIn profile. The bank issued a statement Tuesday mourning her death.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague. She was a valued teammate who will be greatly missed. Our hearts go out to her family and all of her loved ones,” Bank of America said.
The killing occurred a short distance from Bank of America’s One Bryant Park office. The company also operates financial centers across New York City, placing its employees throughout the commercial core of a city central to the U.S. financial system.
Other deadly attacks in New York have claimed employees of major financial firms.
Last summer, a gunman carrying an M4 rifle entered 345 Park Avenue in Midtown and shot people inside the building. A senior Blackstone executive was among those killed.
In 2022, a gunman killed a 48-year-old Goldman Sachs employee aboard a Manhattan-bound train traveling from Brooklyn into Lower Manhattan. Authorities described the shooting as random and unprovoked.
Separate NYPD figures released last month placed shooting incidents, shooting victims and murders at their lowest recorded levels for the first seven months of 2026 and for July.
Police recorded 59 shooting incidents in July, down from 75 in July 2025. Major crime fell 12.7% citywide during the month.
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How sad. There is something seriously wrong with our mental health system.
The ghost of Luigi Mangione