Erin Piacenti killed in random Times Square stabbing before being shot by suspect Pamela Cisneros

She had recently returned to work from maternity leave and was a new mother to a 5-month-old daughter. Pamela Cisneros, a 49-year-old from Queens, committed the stabbing spree. Cisneros pulled two knives from a shopping bag and first stabbed a 68-year-old man from Rhode Island, who is expected to survive. Approximately 20 seconds later, Cisneros attacked Piacenti. Following the attacks, Cisneros entered a standoff with police between 42nd and 43rd streets. Officers fired stun guns at her, but when she refused to drop her knives, they opened fire and killed her. Cisneros had a documented history of mental health concerns dating back to 2018, including postpartum depression and several hospitalizations. Her brother, Patrick Peralta, noted that she had no criminal history and was generally well-behaved until her final rampage. Peralta suggested that Cisneros may have missed her regular monthly psychiatric injections over the last few months.