Erin Piacenti, a 32-year-old Bank of America vice-president and new mother, was killed in a stabbing attack in Times Square days after returning to work from maternity leave.
Piacenti, from Chester, New Jersey, was attacked on Monday, August 31, near West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue in Manhattan. Police said she was stabbed in the abdomen and later died at Bellevue Hospital.
She had recently welcomed her daughter, Madison, with her husband, Frank, after spending five months on maternity leave. A family memorial fundraiser said August 31 was her first day back at work.
The appeal described Piacenti as a devoted wife and mother whose daughter had been “the greatest possible joy”. It said the family had recently celebrated the child’s baptism and returned from a road trip.
Piacenti worked as a vice-president in business selection and conflicts at Bank of America, whose New York offices are close to the scene of the attack. The bank said it was “shocked and deeply saddened” by the loss of a valued colleague.
Police identified the alleged attacker as Pamela Cisneros, 49, of Queens. Investigators said she stabbed Piacenti and a 68-year-old man before officers shot her after she advanced towards them carrying two knives.
The male victim, who was visiting New York from Rhode Island, was taken to hospital in a stable condition. Police said there had been no previous confrontation between him and Cisneros.
Piacenti graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016 and earned a law degree from Fordham Law School in 2021. Fordham said it was heartbroken by the “tragic and senseless loss” of its former student.
The memorial appeal was set up to support Madison and her future, with donations intended to help the child grow up surrounded by her mother’s family, friends and memories.
