MIDTOWN MURDER

Banking Leader Fatally Stabbed in Times Square Knife Attack

Police have described the fatal attack as “random and unprovoked.”

Bank of America Vice President Erin Piacenti has been identified by police as the woman who was fatally stabbed in a shock attack in Times Square. Piacenti, 32, of New Jersey, died in a hospital Monday shortly after being stabbed on a Manhattan street. Her LinkedIn profile revealed she was vice president of business selection and conflicts at the bank, which has an office at One Bryant Park, steps from Times Square. Police identified Pamela Cisneros, 49, as her killer. Cisneros was shot dead by police between West 42nd and 43rd Streets after she refused to drop her knife, allegedly saying, “I’m not dropping anything. I would rather kill both of you.” A 68-year-old man was also stabbed by Cisneros in the spree, about 20 seconds before Piacenti, but survived. The NYPD has described the attack as “random and unprovoked,” with no clear motive. The NYPD said Cisneros, of Queens, had no arrest history with the department, but had previous encounters with police regarding mental illness in 2018 and 2019. The NYPD did not make additional details about those incidents public.