Times Square Stabbing: NYPD Fatally Shoots Woman After Deadly Knife Attack Near 42nd Street

WHAT HAPPENED

A woman armed with two knives stabbed two people in Times Square on Monday afternoon in what police called a random, unprovoked attack, turning one of the busiest tourist corners in New York City into a crime scene in under 20 seconds.

Police say 39-year-old Pamela Cisneros, of Queens, pulled the knives from a bag near West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue, stabbed a 68-year-old man in the abdomen, then moved north toward 42nd Street and stabbed a second victim, 32-year-old Erin Piacenti, a Bank of America vice president visiting from Chester, New Jersey.

THE STANDOFF

Witnesses flagged down officers near an NYPD substation. What followed was a four-minute standoff in which officers repeatedly ordered Cisneros to drop the knives.

"I'm not dropping anything. I would rather kill both of you," she told officers, according to police.

Officers deployed stun guns twice, without effect. As she advanced toward them, she repeated the threat.

"I will kill you," she said, moments before two officers opened fire, killing her at the scene.

THE VICTIMS

Piacenti died from her stab wound a short time later at Bellevue Hospital. She was on her first day back at work after maternity leave. She was a vice president at Bank of America, a University of Pennsylvania graduate, and had earned her law degree from Fordham Law School in 2021, where she and her husband, Frank, met.

"We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague. She was a valued teammate who will be greatly missed," Bank of America said in a statement.

"We are heartbroken to learn of the tragic and senseless loss of our alumna... our thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathies are with Frank, their families, and all who knew and loved Erin," Fordham University said.

The 68-year-old man stabbed first was treated at Bellevue Hospital and released Tuesday afternoon.

WARNING SIGNS

Cisneros had a documented mental health history dating back to at least 2018, including a period of postpartum depression, and had been receiving monthly medication injections to manage her condition, according to her father. Months before the attack, she posted online about hearing voices and a diminished tolerance for people "to the point of stabbing others for no reason." Family members later described a private struggle that had grown worse in recent weeks. Police say she had no prior criminal record.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed the shooting was captured on officers' body-worn cameras and that footage would be released publicly as part of the NYPD's standard review process, now underway through the department's Force Investigation Division.