20 Seconds, Two Random Victims & a Deadly Attack - TIMES SQUARE STABBING

Erin Piacenti, a 32-year-old Bank of America vice president and new mother, was fatally stabbed in a random Times Square attack on August 31, 2026, during her first day back at work after maternity leave. Police say Pamela Cisneros, 49, first stabbed a 68-year-old man near West 41st Street before attacking Erin roughly 20 seconds later near Seventh Avenue and 42nd Street. Officers confronted Cisneros, repeatedly ordered her to drop two large knives and deployed Tasers before two officers fatally shot her as she allegedly advanced toward them.

The NYPD says Cisneros had documented mental-health-related encounters with police but no New York arrest history. The police shooting remains under investigation. Erin leaves behind her husband Frank and their five-month-old daughter, Madison, as family, friends and colleagues mourn what authorities describe as a completely random and unprovoked attack.