Erin Piacenti, the 32-year-old Bank of America executive killed in a random Times Square stabbing, had returned to work that day for the first time since welcoming her baby daughter five months earlier, according to new details shared by her family.
The New Jersey mother was on her first day back at work after maternity leave when she was attacked in Manhattan on Monday, August 31.
Police said Piacenti was one of two people stabbed within seconds of each other near Seventh Avenue in what authorities described as an apparently random and unprovoked attack.
Erin Piacenti was on her first day back from maternity leave
Piacenti and her husband had welcomed a baby girl five months before the attack, according to a fundraising page established for the family.
The same fundraiser said August 31 was Piacenti’s first day back at work following maternity leave, making the circumstances surrounding her death especially heartbreaking for relatives, friends and colleagues.
Piacenti, who lived in Chester, New Jersey, worked at Bank of America. The company said it was shocked and deeply saddened by the death of its colleague and extended condolences to her family and loved ones.
She and her husband both graduated from Fordham Law School in 2021. The university also issued a statement mourning what it described as the tragic and senseless loss of one of its alumni.
The new information marks a deeply personal development in the Times Square stabbing that killed Erin Piacenti, which drew widespread attention after police said the attack appeared to have been carried out without warning.
According to the NYPD, the violence unfolded near West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue shortly before the evening rush.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said a 68-year-old man from Rhode Island had just exited the subway and was waiting to cross the street with his wife when a woman allegedly pulled two knives from a bag.
The suspect, identified by police as 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros of Queens, allegedly stabbed the man in the abdomen before continuing north along Seventh Avenue toward West 42nd Street.
Authorities said Cisneros then approached Piacenti and stabbed her in the abdomen in another apparently random attack.
Police said the two victims were attacked within approximately 20 seconds of each other.
Both were transported to a hospital. Piacenti later died from her injuries, while the 68-year-old man was reported to be in stable condition after initially suffering life-threatening injuries.
Police confrontation followed the Times Square attacks
After the stabbings, police said Cisneros continued north toward an NYPD substation in Times Square.
Witnesses alerted officers, who confronted her and repeatedly ordered her to drop the knives, according to Commissioner Tisch.
Police said officers attempted to use Tasers during the confrontation, but the devices did not stop her.
Authorities said two officers eventually fired their service weapons after Cisneros continued advancing while armed with the knives.
She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Two knives were recovered from the scene, according to police.
NYPD officials said Cisneros had a documented history of mental-health-related encounters with authorities. Police have stressed that investigators found no indication that the incident was related to terrorism.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani thanked the officers who responded, saying their actions prevented the situation from becoming even worse.
The NYPD is conducting an internal investigation into the police shooting, and officials have said body-worn camera footage from the confrontation will be released publicly.
For Piacenti’s family, however, the focus has remained on her life beyond the circumstances of her death.
The 32-year-old had recently entered a new chapter as a mother and was returning to her professional career after spending the first months of her daughter’s life at home.
A fundraiser has been created to support the future of Piacenti’s baby daughter and assist her family following the tragedy.
This story may be updated as additional information is released by the NYPD, Erin Piacenti’s family or other officials.
Sources: Reporting from ABC News/ABC7, along with statements from the NYPD, Bank of America and Fordham Law School.
Make Swikblog your go-to source on Google for reliable updates, smart insights, and daily trends.
