A woman armed with two knives stabbed two people in separate attacks in New York City’s Times Square, killing a 32-year-old woman and seriously injuring a 68-year-old man before police fatally shot the suspect, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
The attack unfolded Monday afternoon near Seventh Avenue and West 41st Street, one of Manhattan’s busiest tourist areas. Police said the two victims were attacked within about 20 seconds of each other in what investigators believe was a random and unprovoked assault.
The first victim, a 68-year-old man from Rhode Island, had just exited the subway with his wife and was waiting to cross the street when the suspect approached, Tisch said.
The woman pulled two large knives from a shopping bag and stabbed the man in the abdomen.
“He was simply exiting the subway with his wife,” Tisch said while describing the preliminary investigation.
The man was taken to Bellevue Hospital with life-threatening injuries and remained in stable condition, according to police.
The suspect then moved north along Seventh Avenue toward West 42nd Street, where she encountered a 32-year-old woman and stabbed her in the abdomen, Tisch said.
That victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital but later died from her injuries.
Second victim dies
Police identified the second victim as Erin Piacenti, a 32-year-old woman from Chester, New Jersey, who worked as a vice president at Bank of America.
The bank confirmed her death and expressed shock over the loss of its employee.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague,” Bank of America said in a statement, adding that its “hearts go out to her family and all of her loved ones.”
Piacenti’s death turned the incident into a fatal double stabbing, with the suspect also dying after an armed confrontation with police.
Tisch said officers were alerted to a woman carrying knives and attacking people before they located her near an NYPD substation in Times Square.
Police identified the suspect as 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros of Queens.
Police confront suspect
Officers encountered Cisneros on Seventh Avenue between West 42nd and West 43rd streets, according to the NYPD.
Tisch said officers spent about four minutes attempting to persuade her to surrender the knives. She repeatedly refused their commands.
During the confrontation, police said Cisneros threatened the officers and continued moving toward them while holding the weapons.
“I’m not dropping anything. I would rather kill both of you,” Tisch quoted the woman as telling officers. She also repeatedly said, “I will kill you.”
Officers deployed Tasers in an effort to stop her, but they were unsuccessful, police said.
Two officers then fired their weapons, striking Cisneros. Officers recovered both knives at the scene and provided medical assistance before she was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where she died.
The police shooting is being investigated, and body-worn camera footage captured the confrontation, officials said. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the footage would be released.
No terrorism link
Investigators do not believe the attack was terrorism-related.
Tisch described the stabbings as an “unprovoked double stabbing” and said Cisneros appeared to have been emotionally disturbed. Police also said she had a documented mental health history involving NYPD encounters in 2018 and 2019, although she had no prior arrest record.
Authorities have not identified any connection between Cisneros and either victim.
The attack occurred during the afternoon in a heavily populated part of Midtown Manhattan, prompting a significant police response and temporarily disrupting traffic and pedestrian movement around Seventh Avenue.
The incident comes despite broader declines in major crime reported by the NYPD this year. The department said in August that New York had recorded its fewest shooting incidents, shooting victims and murders for the first seven months of a year in its recorded history.
The Times Square stabbing nevertheless highlighted the unpredictable nature of random violence in crowded public spaces, where an attack can unfold within seconds.
For the 68-year-old survivor, the immediate focus remained on his recovery. Police said he was in stable condition after being stabbed in the abdomen while standing beside his wife.
Investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the two attacks and the subsequent police shooting.
