Erin Piacenti, a 32-year-old Bank of America vice president, was fatally stabbed in an apparently random and unprovoked attack near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue in Times Square. The assailant, 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros, also wounded a 68-year-old man before advancing toward police officers with 2 large knives. Officers initially used Tasers and then opened fire, killing her.
Beyond the violence that ended her life, Piacenti was a young Italian American professional, lawyer, wife and new mother whose career was rapidly advancing. Born Erin Guiltinan, she grew up in New Jersey and attended Villa Walsh Academy, a Catholic girls’ school in Morristown. Her family background included Irish roots, while the Italian American identity associated with the Piacenti name became part of her life through her marriage to Frank Piacenti.
The couple met while studying at Fordham University School of Law and graduated together in 2021. They married in Manahawkin, New Jersey, in August 2024 and had recently celebrated their second wedding anniversary. They had also purchased their first home in Chester, New Jersey, where they were beginning a new chapter with their infant child. Piacenti had returned to work after approximately 5 months of maternity leave.
Her accomplishments extended well beyond banking. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016 and had been active in music since childhood, singing with the New Jersey Youth Chorus. At Penn, she performed with the Dischord A Cappella group, becoming known for her powerful alto voice, confident solos and work arranging songs.
Piacenti joined Bank of America about 18 months before her death and served as vice president in its Business Selection and Conflicts team. Colleagues remembered her as a valued professional, cherished teammate and friend. Her story is therefore not simply that of a victim in a shocking New York crime – it is the story of a talented Italian American woman whose family, education, music and professional dedication had shaped a life filled with promise.
