Bank of America VP Erin Piacenti Killed in Times Square Stabbing

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By TRH World Desk

Police say the attacker warned officers “I would rather kill both of you” before she was fatally shot — after allegedly stabbing two strangers in broad daylight on one of New York’s busiest streets.

New Delhi, September 1, 2026 — A Bank of America vice president was fatally stabbed in Times Square on Monday afternoon in what police described as a random, unprovoked attack, before officers shot and killed the suspect at the scene.

CBS News New York reported that Erin Piacenti, 32, was stabbed in the abdomen after Pamela Cisneros, 49, pulled out two knives and attacked her along with a 68-year-old man near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue at around 4:24 p.m. Monday.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the 68-year-old man had just exited the subway and was waiting to cross the street with his wife when the suspect pulled the knives from a bag and stabbed him in the abdomen in what Tisch called an attack that “appears to be a random and unprovoked” one.

The suspect then continued up Seventh Avenue toward 42nd Street, where she approached Piacenti and stabbed her in a similarly unprovoked attack, according to Tisch’s account.

The suspect then fled north toward an NYPD substation, where witnesses flagged down officers. What followed was a tense, four-minute standoff: officers ordered Cisneros to drop the knives, but she refused. CBS News quoted Police Commissioner Tisch describing the exchange: “During the encounter, she told the officers, ‘I’m not dropping anything. I would rather kill both of you.’ She repeated, ‘I will kill you.’”

When Cisneros allegedly advanced toward officers with the knives, multiple officers first deployed tasers, which proved ineffective, before two officers fired their weapons, killing her.

The Victims

Piacenti, of Chester, New Jersey, died at the hospital from her injuries, according to the NYPD. Bloomberg News first reported her identity on Tuesday. The 68-year-old man, from Rhode Island, remained in stable condition at the hospital, according to CBS News, which reported he had been visiting his son in Brooklyn with his wife and was on his way home when the attack occurred; police said he had no connection to Cisneros and there had been no prior altercation.

Bank of America confirmed Piacenti was a vice president of business selection and conflicts at the bank, according to her LinkedIn profile as cited by Bloomberg. In a statement to Reuters, the bank said: “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.”

The NYPD has not yet released additional detail on Cisneros’ background or any history that might explain the attack. With the suspect dead at the scene, no criminal prosecution will follow; police and city officials have not indicated whether any further review of the incident, including the officers’ use of force, is planned.

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