Times Square Victim Was Bank of America VP Erin Piacenti

The woman killed in a random Times Square stabbing was identified as Erin Piacenti, 32, a Bank of America vice president from Chester, New Jersey.

Shortly before 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 31, a woman pulled two knives from a red Target bag and stabbed a 68-year-old man who had just exited the subway with his wife near 41st Street and Seventh Avenue. Within about 20 seconds, she continued north on Seventh Avenue and stabbed a 32-year-old woman in the abdomen. Both victims were taken to Bellevue Hospital, where the woman died; the man, from Rhode Island, survived and is in stable condition. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the attacks as a random and unprovoked double stabbing, and officials said the incident was not terror-related.

The fatally wounded victim was identified as Erin Piacenti, 32, of Chester, New Jersey, who worked at Bank of America. Fox Business and the Chelsea News & Herald report she served as a vice president at the bank; Chelsea News describes her role as vice president of business selection and conflicts. Bank of America acknowledged her death in a statement obtained by Reuters and published by Fox Business: "We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague. She was a valued teammate who will be greatly missed."

Witnesses flagged down officers, who confronted the suspect — identified as 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros of Queens — on Seventh Avenue between 42nd and 43rd streets. According to Tisch, officers spoke with her for roughly four minutes and repeatedly ordered her to drop the knives, which she refused. "I'm not dropping anything. Cisneros was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital.

Tisch called it "an extraordinarily dangerous situation unfolding in the heart of Times Square, the crossroads of the world." The suspect had a documented mental health history with the NYPD, including incidents in 2018 and 2019, but no arrest history. A tourist from Ireland told ABC7 New York it was the first time he had ever seen anything like it, noting that Irish police do not carry guns. NBC New York reports violent crime is down sharply this year, with homicides down 24%, yet this was the second fatal stabbing in Times Square in 2026, after a man was killed in May.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani defended the officers, saying they "stepped in and prevented a horrific attack from becoming even worse." His administration created an Office of Community Safety to improve emergency responses by using mental health workers in certain scenarios, but per ABC7 New York the mayor said that model would not apply "when there is the threat of violence." The case reignites the debate over how a city handles emotionally disturbed people with documented histories before they harm anyone, and how heavily armed policing in tourist zones is perceived by the millions who visit. "That's a big epidemic out here. We gotta get that under control," Times Square worker Clyde Benjamin told ABC7.

The NYPD will conduct an internal investigation, which is standard for officer-involved shootings, and body-worn camera footage of the shooting will be released to the public following standard procedures, according to Mayor Mamdani. Tisch, who reviewed the footage, said the cameras captured the four-minute encounter and the eventual gunfire. Police recovered both knives at the scene and released photos of the weapons.