A deadly New York Times Square stabbing ended with police fatally shooting the suspect after officers’ attempts to stop her with Tasers failed.
New details about the confrontation help explain why the Tasers may not have incapacitated 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros. Her family, meanwhile, is questioning how the police response unfolded.
Police secured the Times Square scene after the stabbing attack that left one victim dead and another injured. The confrontation ended with officers shooting Pamela Cisneros after attempts to stop her with Tasers failed. | Source: Getty Images
According to the New York Post, Pamela attacked two people near West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue on Monday, August 31, 2026, killing one. Video of the confrontation showed her holding two knives as officers ordered her to drop them.
Retired NYPD detective and Taser expert Artur Sadowski told the Post that several factors may have prevented the devices from working as intended. Tasers require both probes to make effective contact to complete an electrical circuit and temporarily disrupt muscle control.
Police later displayed an image of knives recovered at the scene as investigators detailed the deadly encounter. The weapons became a key part of the investigation into the attack and the officers’ response. | Source: Getty Images
Artur said Pamela’s movements, body fat, and purse may have interfered with that process. One probe struck the purse wrapped around her body, while another appeared to hit her stomach.
“She may have felt pain or muscle cramping in her abdomen but not enough to stop her from advancing,” Artur said.
As details of the police response emerged, Pamela’s mother, Maria, and half-brother, Patrick Peralta, spoke to Fox 5 New York about the encounter and her behavior before the attack.
NYPD crime scene investigators worked behind police tape after the violence near Seventh Avenue in Times Square. The police response later drew questions from Cisernos’ family, including her mother’s pointed question about why officers did not grab her by the arm. | Source: Getty Images
“There were so many police. Why didn’t they grab her by the arm?” the suspect’s mother, known to loved ones as “Tia Maria,” asked. Patrick then described what the family knew about her before the attack.
“Yeah, she had mental problems. There were no signs this would have happened,” he said. “This was all of a sudden because she’s never been violent.”
Pamela’s father, Mario, offered a similar account in an interview with ABC7 New York. “I knew my daughter very well but I didn’t know what was going on with her. What I do know is she was getting injections,” Mario said.
According to the news outlet, Mario said Pamela had been receiving monthly medication injections for a mental illness before the attacks. He said he had seen her the week before and that she appeared fine.
Mario also said his daughter was not violent. “We don’t understand because the situation reversed,” he said.
Patrick Added More About Pamela’s Behavior Before the Attack
In a separate interview with the New York Daily News, Patrick said he had never known her to harm anyone other than herself before Monday’s attack.
“I don’t know what was in her head,” Patrick said. “I can’t tell you what she was thinking or if she just completely went blank. I don’t know where that rage came from.”
Patrick and Pamela grew up together with their mother in Jackson Heights. He remembered Pamela as a “happy-go-lucky kid” who followed him around when she was about 5.
Her mental health problems developed about two decades ago, after she gave birth to the second of her three daughters, Patrick said. “She went off track after that,” he recalled.
Pamela’s middle daughter is autistic and nonverbal and lives in a Brooklyn group home, where Patrick said Pamela visited her often. Her other two daughters live in Florida with their father, Pamela’s ex-husband.
Pamela was living alone in Woodside and had recently returned to work. After being unemployed for some time, she landed a job as an administrative assistant for a lawyer about three months before the attack, according to Patrick.
The family was accustomed to seeing Pamela regularly. She usually ate dinner with their parents almost every night, but that routine changed shortly before the attack.
Patrick last saw her on August 8 for their father’s birthday. Their mother spoke with Pamela on Saturday, and Patrick said Pamela told her she was fine. There was another detail from the months before the attack.
In a lengthy Facebook post on November 30, 2025, Pamela wrote about what she believed were signs of “the end times.” Among them, she cited “the disminished [sic] love of people to the point of stabbing others for no reason.”
Later in the same post, Pamela wrote that “the battlefield is in your mind” and referred to people hearing voices telling them “to either kill someone or themselves.” She attributed those thoughts to Satan and urged readers to reject them and turn to God.
Patrick eventually learned what had happened in Times Square after seeing cellphone footage on the news. “I was shocked,” he said. “I’m still numb. I saw it on the news last night. Something told me that she looks like my sister.”
Patrick contacted Midtown South and provided his information. He said police called him back by about 7:30 p.m.
The following night, Patrick had to break the news to Pamela’s two daughters in Florida over the phone. He also had a message for the people affected by the attack.
“My entire family feels so sorry for the two people, the one that passed away and the one who was hurt,” Patrick said. “We are so sorry. We never thought this would happen.”
The family’s account adds another layer to the Times Square attack, which also claimed the life of a finance executive and left another person injured.
As previously reported, the New York Police Department (NYPD) identified the victim as Erin Piacenti, 32, who was fatally wounded during the Monday afternoon attack.
Police tape and barricades marked off part of Times Square after the Monday afternoon stabbing disrupted the busy Midtown district. The scene remained under investigation after two people were stabbed, including 32-year-old Erin Piacenti. | Source: Getty Images
Bank of America (BofA) confirmed the loss of an employee, while an internal memo reviewed by Reuters identified Erin as the victim.
The stabbing prompted a major emergency response in one of Manhattan’s busiest areas. What happened in the moments leading up to Erin’s death began one block away.
A Man Was Stabbed First
The first victim was a 68-year-old man who had exited the subway and was waiting with his wife to cross the street near 41st Street and Seventh Avenue.
Police said the suspect, Pamela, approached the couple while carrying two knives. A witness told investigators that Pamela had the weapons inside a red Target bag before removing them, according to NBC New York.
Pamela waved the knives and stabbed the man in the side, police said. She then continued north on Seventh Avenue toward 42nd Street. Police said the next stabbing occurred about 20 seconds later.
Police secured parts of the Times Square area as the response to the Aug. 31 stabbings unfolded along Seventh Avenue. The two attacks occurred about 20 seconds apart, according to police. | Source: Getty Images
What Erin Piacenti Was Doing Moments Before the Attack
Erin was walking along Seventh Avenue near 42nd Street at about 4:30 p.m., according to Fox 5 New York. She was about one block north of the location where the 68-year-old man had just been stabbed.
After attacking the man, Pamela continued north and approached Erin, police said. About 20 seconds separated the two stabbings. Pamela stabbed Erin in the stomach.
NYPD officers responded to the Times Square area after Erin Piacenti and a 68-year-old man were stabbed one block apart. | Source: Getty Images
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch later described the stabbings as a “random and unprovoked attack,” according to CBS News. “At this point in the investigation, we have no reason to believe this incident was an attack of terrorism,” she said.
After stabbing Erin, police said Pamela continued north on Seventh Avenue while still carrying both knives.
Police Confronted Pamela Cisneros After the Second Stabbing
Pamela encountered officers between 42nd and 43rd streets, according to police. The officers repeatedly ordered her to put down the knives. The encounter lasted about four minutes, Commissioner Jessica said.
Pamela refused to comply. “I’m not dropping anything. I would rather kill both of you,” Pamela said during the encounter, according to Commissioner Jessica. Police said she also repeatedly threatened to kill the officers.
Police maintained a security perimeter in Times Square after officers confronted Pamela Cisneros following the two stabbings. Authorities said officers repeatedly ordered Pamela to drop the knives during an encounter that lasted about four minutes. | Source: Getty Images
Officers deployed stun guns, but police said they appeared to have no effect. Pamela then advanced toward the officers, and two officers opened fire.
“This was an extraordinarily dangerous situation unfolding in the heart of Times Square, the crossroads of the world,” Commissioner Jessica said.
Police said Pamela had documented mental health-related contacts with the NYPD dating to 2018 and 2019, according to NBC New York. She had no criminal history. Police described Pamela as emotionally disturbed.
The NYPD Commissioner and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani defended the officers’ use of lethal force. The police shooting will be investigated, which is standard following an officer-involved shooting in New York, according to The Guardian.
“I want to thank the NYPD officers who stepped in and prevented a horrific attack from becoming even worse,” the mayor said.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed the Times Square violence after police shot Pamela Cisneros during the confrontation. He thanked the responding officers, while the police shooting is subject to an investigation. | Source: Getty Images
Pamelas was taken to Bellevue Hospital and pronounced dead. The two stabbing victims were also transported to Bellevue. Erin died, while the 68-year-old man survived.
The First Victim Was Visiting From Rhode Island
The 68-year-old man is from Rhode Island and was believed to have been visiting family in New York, according to ABC7 New York. His next-door neighbor, August DiMartino, spoke about the attack after learning what had happened.
“Absolutely terrible, to just find out that something that horrible can happen to somebody that close to you really makes the community seem vulnerable,” August said.
ABC7 also spoke with the victim’s family by phone Tuesday. The family declined an interview but provided a brief update on his condition. “He seems fine,” they said. The man was released from Bellevue late Tuesday afternoon.
Investigators examined the Times Square scene after the stabbings and subsequent police shooting on August 31. The 68-year-old victim survived and was released from Bellevue Hospital late Tuesday afternoon, while Erin Piacenti died from her injuries. | Source: Getty Images
While the 68-year-old man recovered from his injuries, Erin’s death prompted new attention to the career and life she had built before the attack.
Erin Piacenti’s Professional Background
Erin worked as a vice president in BofA’s Business Selection & Conflicts team. Her LinkedIn profile lists February 2025 as the start of her position at the bank.
Before BofA, Erin worked at Davis Polk & Wardwell. She joined the law firm as an associate in October 2021 and remained there until January 2025. Her work included mergers and acquisitions, according to her professional profile.
While at Davis Polk, Erin completed a seven-month secondment at Morgan Stanley. She worked in the company’s Legal & Compliance Division from August 2023 through February 2024.
Her relationship with Davis Polk began while she was in law school. She worked there as a summer associate from June through August 2020.
Erin had also worked as a legal intern with Major League Baseball from May through August 2019. Before entering law, her profile lists positions at Bloomingdale’s and internships at Saks Fifth Avenue.
She Graduated With Flying Colors From Fordham Law
Erin earned her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 2021. She graduated magna cum laude and was a member of the Order of the Coif, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Erin also participated in the Fordham Law Review and Fordham Moot Court Board. Her listed academic activities included the 46th Annual Kaufman Memorial Securities Law Competition and the UCLA Cyber Crimes Moot Court Competition.
She received a Legal Writing Award and was a Mary Daly Scholar. Before attending Fordham, Erin studied at the University of Pennsylvania. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2016.
After graduating from Fordham in 2021, she began her associate position at Davis Polk that October. She moved to Bank of America in February 2025.
Erin Piacenti Had Recently Celebrated a Personal Milestone
Erin was married to attorney Frank Piacenti. The couple had recently celebrated their second wedding anniversary, according to People. A wedding image of the couple also serves as the profile picture on Erin’s private Instagram account.
They had also purchased their first home in Chester, New Jersey, in September 2025, according to property records obtained by the same publication. Chester is about 40 miles west of New York City.
Frank graduated cum laude and was a member of the Fordham Law Review, according to his professional biography at Kasowitz. He practices complex commercial litigation.
Before joining Kasowitz, Frank clerked for U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore in the Southern District of Florida. While attending law school, he also served as a judicial intern for U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska in the Southern District of New York. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia in 2018.
Erin and Frank’s connection to Fordham later became part of the university’s response to her death.
Bank of America Called Erin Piacenti a ‘Valued Teammate’
Bank of America issued a statement after Erin’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 company said in a statement provided to Reuters.
Matthew Koder, president of Global Corporate & Investment Banking, also addressed Erin’s death in an internal memo reviewed by Reuters. Koder described her as a “cherished teammate and friend.”
“Erin was a valued member of the Business Selection and Conflicts team, having joined the bank 18 months ago,” Koder wrote. “Her loss is being felt deeply by many.”
Erin Piacenti had worked as a vice president on Bank of America’s Business Selection & Conflicts team since February 2025. The bank later described her as a valued colleague whose loss was being felt across her team. | Source: Getty Images
Koder said Bank of America’s security teams were “fully engaged” in supporting the police investigation and addressing the safety and security of the bank’s offices and employees. Bank of America’s One Bryant Park office is near Times Square.
