Woman Fatally Stabbed in Times Square Attack, Assailant Killed by Police

A 32-year-old lawyer was fatally stabbed and a 68-year-old man was injured in a random attack in New York City's Times Square on Monday afternoon. The assailant, identified as 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros, was shot and killed by police at the scene after she refused to drop two knives, threatened officers, and advanced toward them.

The victim who died was identified as Erin Piattenti, a lawyer from Manchester, New Jersey, who worked at Bank of America. The second victim, a resident of Rhode Island, was hospitalized in stable condition. Police stated there was no prior connection between the victims and the attacker.

According to NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell, officers attempted to de-escalate the situation for approximately four minutes, but Cisneros refused to comply, stating, "I'm not dropping anything. I'd rather kill you both." She repeated the threat as she advanced on the officers, who initially deployed Tasers without success before firing their weapons.

Authorities reported that Cisneros had a documented history of mental health issues and prior police encounters in 2018 and 2019 that did not result in arrest. The incident and the officers' use of deadly force are under investigation by the NYPD's Force Investigation Unit.

Piattenti was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Fordham University School of Law, where she met her husband, Frank. Both Fordham University and Bank of America issued statements mourning her "tragic and senseless loss."

The attack, which occurred in a heavily trafficked tourist area, caused alarm among bystanders. The incident occurred near a new campaign by the Israeli Consulate in New York, which was displaying images of Hamas executions in Times Square.