NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 30: The corporate logo for Bank of America is displayed on their branch in Times Square on December 30, 2023, in New York City. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
A vice president at Bank of America died on Monday, August 31, after a random, unprovoked stabbing in New York City’s Times Square. Erin Piacenti, 32, died after allegedly being stabbed by Pamela Cisneros.
Piacenti was fatally stabbed near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue at approximately 4:26 p.m., according to WABC. An unidentified man was also stabbed by a woman later identified as 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros of Queens.
The stabbing was reportedly random and unprovoked, and Cisneros also threatened several people with knives. Cisneros allegedly took two knives out of a red Target bag and threatened people before she stabbed the man in the abdomen in front of his wife. Afterward, she stabbed Piacenti in the abdomen as well, within 20 seconds of the first assault.
Piacenti was the Vice President of Business Selection and Conflicts at the Bank of America in Times Square, according to The New York Post. Bank of America issued a statement following the tragic news.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague,” reads the statement. “She was a valued teammate who will be greatly missed. Our hearts go out to her family and all of her loved ones.”
Officers from the New York Police Department reportedly arrived on the scene and allegedly ordered Cisneros to drop the knives multiple times, but she refused.
Disturbing footage captured Cisneros threatening the officers with a knife before they shot her at approximately 4:27 p.m., according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, per NBC New York.
Tisch said at a press conference on Monday that Cisneros stated that she would kill the officers.
“During the encounter,” claimed Tisch. “She told the officers, ‘I’m not dropping anything. I would rather kill both of you.’ She repeated, ‘I will kill you.'”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke at a press conference on Monday and said that the Bank of America executive and assailant both died at Bellevue Hospital, perCBS News.
In addition, Mamdani said that the 68-year-old man was in stable condition.
Cisneros reportedly had documented mental health issues dating back to 2018. She was allegedly acting erratically and screaming at a building in Manhattan. In addition, she reportedly tried to jump in front of a subway in Queens the following year. NYPD officers used a Taser on Cisneros before fatally shooting her.
