Police identify the victim of the Times Square stabbing as a 32-year-old Penn grad
Police have identified the victim killed in a Times Square knife-wielding spree as Erin Piacenti, 32, of Chester, N.J. The Penn graduate was active in youth choir and a capella growing up.
Police have identified the victim killed in a knife-wielding spree in Times Square as a 32-year-old from Chester, N.J.
Erin Piacenti was a vice president of business at Bank of America based out of Manhattan with a background in law, according to her LinkedIn profile. But before that, she was a singer at Penn.
As a young girl, Piacenti, whose given name was Guiltinan, attended the private Catholic girls’ school in Morristown, Villa Walsh Academy. She went on to enroll in the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 2016, and, later, Fordham University for law school in 2021.
She had deep roots in New Jersey and made lifelong friends through her involvement in the New Jersey Youth Chorus and later, Penn’s Dischord A Cappella group. In Dischord, Piacenti was a frequent soloist with an explosive alto range, taking on renditions of big pop and R&B divas, from Ariana Grande to Tina Turner with confidence. Even when she wasn’t soloing, Piacenti often worked on Dischord’s song arrangements, according to credits from past performances.
Piacenti recently celebrated her second wedding anniversary. The couple — who both attended Fordham law school — married in Manahawkin in 2024. Piacenti’s husband could not immediately be reached for comment.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague,” Bank of America told The Inquirer in an e-mailed statement. “She was a valued teammate who will be greatly missed. Our hearts go out to her family and all of her loved ones."
Piacenti was fatally stabbed by Pamela Cisneros of Queens, who reportedly had a documented history of mental health concerns, but no criminal history, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference.
Cisneros, 49, was caught on a string of now-viral videos waving around two large knives. Police fatally shot her Monday in the middle of Times Square after they said she injured two people at random: a 68-year-old man exiting the subway and, about 20 seconds later, Piacenti.
Piacenti was rushed to the hospital with a puncture to her abdomen and was pronounced dead, according to Tisch. The male victim, who has not been publicly named, was separately hospitalized and is recovering, according to police.
Commissioner Tisch said police attempted to negotiate with Cisneros, who held the knives toward officers for “four minutes,” but that she remained hostile and threatened to kill them instead. Responding officers fired Tasers at her, but she advanced anyway, police said. Two officers opened fire at Cisneros, who was taken to the hospital where she died.
Tom Harris, the president of the Times Square Alliance, which represents the area’s businesses, said the stabbings were a “tragedy.”
“Our hearts go out to the victims and their families at this time,” Harris told the New York Times. “We are thankful that once again the N.Y.P.D. was swift to act and put themselves in harm’s way to stop the perpetrator before more were injured.”
This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.
