Bank of America is mourning a colleague who had just returned from maternity leave when she was fatally stabbed in a random Times Square attack.
Erin Piacenti, 32, of Chester, New Jersey, was killed Monday afternoon in the heart of Manhattan’s theater district by a woman who also wounded another passerby before police shot the attacker dead. The banking executive, a graduate of both the University of Pennsylvania and Fordham Law School, had posted a family photo just four days earlier showing her beaming while holding her infant daughter alongside her husband.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague,” Bank of America said in a statement. “She was a valued teammate who will be greatly missed. Our hearts go out to her family and all of her loved ones.”
In that final social media post, Piacenti expressed gratitude for the five months she had spent caring for her new daughter. She also noted that the baby had recently been baptized, and she mentioned celebrating her second wedding anniversary with her husband, Frank, as they traveled together to Long Beach, New Jersey, Maine and Rhode Island.
Fordham Law School in The Bronx, where both Erin and Frank Piacenti graduated in 2021, issued its own statement on the killing. “We are heartbroken to learn of the tragic and senseless loss of our alumna, Erin (Guiltinan) Piacenti,” the school said. “During this devastating time, our thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathies are with Frank, their families, and all who knew and loved Erin.”
Piacenti’s grandmother spoke about her loss. “She was a beautiful, beautiful girl,” she said.
Before her Ivy League education and legal training, Piacenti attended Villa Walsh Academy, a private girls’ Catholic school in Morristown, New Jersey. She later built a career in banking that brought her to Bank of America.
The attack that killed Piacenti came during broad daylight in one of New York’s most heavily trafficked areas. Pamela Cisneros, 49, a mother of three described as mentally disturbed, stabbed Piacenti and another person before officers opened fire and killed her. Police have not released a motive for what appeared to be a random assault.
Cisneros had no known connection to either victim, and the second stabbing victim survived their injuries. The shooting of Cisneros by officers marked another violent episode in an area that has seen periodic high-profile incidents despite a major NYPD presence.
Piacenti’s death has drawn attention to the vulnerability of even the busiest public spaces, and to the particular cruelty of an attack that struck down a young mother at the start of her family life. Her final posts had shown none of the darkness that would follow so quickly, only the ordinary happiness of a new parent sharing milestones with friends and relatives.
Bank of America has not announced any public memorial plans for Piacenti.