Bank of America employee killed in Times Square stabbing

A 32-year-old Bank of America employee was killed and a 68-year-old man was wounded Monday afternoon when a woman armed with two knives randomly attacked them in Times Square before police shot her dead, authorities said.

The woman who died from the stabbing was identified as Erin Piacenti of New Jersey. Al Jazeera, citing Reuters, reported that Piacenti was a Bank of America vice president and that Bloomberg News first reported her identity Tuesday. CBS News reported she worked for Bank of America.

Police said Pamela Cisneros, 49, pulled out two knives and stabbed Piacenti in the abdomen, then attacked the man near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue at about 4:30 p.m. The man remained in stable condition at a hospital, police said.

New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the attack appeared random and unprovoked. CBS News, citing police sources, reported the injured man had been visiting his son in Brooklyn with his wife and was on his way home when the attack occurred. The sources said he had no connection to Cisneros and there had been no prior altercation.

Responding officers confronted Cisneros and ordered her to drop the knives, police said. Tisch said officers spoke with her for about four minutes before the shooting.

“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,’” Tisch said Monday.

Police said multiple officers deployed Tasers, but they were ineffective. Two officers then fired their weapons when Cisneros advanced toward them with the knives, killing her, authorities said.

Bank of America spokesperson John Yiannacopoulos released a statement mourning Piacenti’s death.

“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 statement said.

Police said Cisneros had a documented mental health history with the NYPD, including incidents in 2018 and 2019, but no arrests. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the police shooting was captured on officers’ body cameras and that the footage would be released later.

The violence unsettled people in one of New York City’s busiest public spaces. Times Square, known as the “Crossroads of the World,” sees 200,000 to 250,000 pedestrians a day, according to its official website.

“It was actually kind of scary because I go to school right here, so you know, seeing that you wouldn’t think that would happen in the middle of Times Square,” Reya Patel told CBS News on Tuesday.

The attack came weeks after Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty to federal charges connected to the December 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on West 54th Street near Sixth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, Al Jazeera reported. Mangione admitted in federal court to intentionally targeting Thompson as he pleaded guilty to interstate stalking resulting in death. He also faces separate state charges, though that trial has been postponed after the federal guilty plea.