Erin Piacenti, Bank of America VP Stabbed in Times Square, Remembered as 'Superstar'

Erin Piacenti, a 32-year-old Bank of America vice president, was fatally stabbed in Times Square on Monday — her first day back from a five-month maternity leave. She had spent the morning showing colleagues photos of her newborn daughter, Madison, and settling back into work reading case law before the unprovoked afternoon attack. Her attacker, Pamela Cisneros, 49, also wounded another victim before being shot and killed by police at the scene.

Piacenti had been at Bank of America for roughly 18 months, working in the firm's Americas Business Selection and Conflicts group — a roughly 20-person team that helps investment bankers prepare disclosure documents for M&A transactions and navigate complex regulatory requirements. Despite her relatively short tenure, her direct boss Hallie Ziesmer had already flagged her as a 'superstar' to senior management. Ziesmer recalled making up her mind to hire Piacenti within three minutes of their interview in late 2024.

Before Bank of America, Piacenti spent more than three years at elite law firm Davis Polk, working on mergers and acquisitions. She had started her career as a buyer at Bloomingdale's — an unusual background — and graduated magna cum laude from Fordham Law. Colleagues remembered her as unusually resourceful and generous with her time, regularly staying late to mentor junior teammates who lacked her legal expertise. A junior colleague who sat across from her noted that Piacenti reviewed much of their work and offered personal advice over occasional coffees.

Beyond her professional acumen, Piacenti was known for her warmth. She frequently talked about her four younger siblings, her love of books and Disney, and her husband Frank, whom she introduced with visible delight to a colleague on the Q train one morning. Around the holidays, she and Frank hosted the family's Christmas cookie party at their new home in New Jersey and brought dozens of cookies into the office afterward. Her team has vowed to carry on the tradition every year.

A GoFundMe to support Piacenti's daughter Madison has raised more than $800,000, with many Bank of America employees among the contributors.