BANK OF AMERICA VP WAS KILLED IN TIMES SQUARE ON HER FIRST DAY BACK FROM MATERNITY LEAVE — SHE HAD JUST WELCOMED HER BABY GIRL

Erin Piacenti had spent five months waiting for this moment.

After welcoming her first child, the 32-year-old Bank of America vice president had returned to work and was beginning a new chapter of life with her husband and their baby daughter.

Instead, her first day back would become her last.

On Monday, Aug. 31, Piacenti was walking through New York City’s Times Square on her way home from work when she was suddenly confronted by a stranger.

Within moments, she had been fatally stabbed in what police described as a random and unprovoked attack.

Her 5-month-old daughter, Madison, was waiting at home.

SHE HAD JUST RETURNED TO WORK

Piacenti, who lived in Chester, New Jersey, had spent the previous five months on maternity leave after giving birth to Madison.

According to reports and a fundraising page created for her daughter, becoming a mother had been one of the defining dreams of her life.

Just days before the tragedy, Piacenti had shared photographs celebrating her young family.

She and her husband, Frank, had recently marked their second wedding anniversary and were building a new life together in New Jersey.

The family had also recently celebrated Madison’s baptism.

Everything appeared to be moving forward.

Then came Aug. 31.

A RANDOM ENCOUNTER IN TIMES SQUARE

Police say Piacenti was walking near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue when 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros approached her.

Cisneros was allegedly carrying two large knives.

Investigators say the incident unfolded rapidly.

Another man, 68-year-old Tak Kam, was attacked first. He was taken to a hospital and was expected to recover.

Moments later, Cisneros allegedly moved toward Piacenti and stabbed her in the abdomen.

The two incidents were separated by only seconds, according to NYPD officials.

Piacenti was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where she was pronounced deceased.

For the young mother, a normal trip home from work had suddenly become a tragedy.

THE SUSPECT THEN CONFRONTED POLICE

After the attacks, Cisneros remained in the area carrying the knives.

Police officers eventually confronted her and repeatedly ordered her to put the weapons down.

According to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the confrontation lasted several minutes.

Officers deployed Tasers, but they were reportedly ineffective.

Police said Cisneros then advanced toward officers while still holding the knives.

Two officers opened fire, and Cisneros was fatally wounded.

The weapons were recovered at the scene. The NYPD Force Investigation Division is reviewing the police use of force.

QUESTIONS ABOUT CISNEROS’ HISTORY

Authorities have described Cisneros as having a documented history of mental-health-related encounters with New York police.

Reports indicate officers had encountered her in 2018 and 2019, although those incidents did not result in arrests.

One 2019 incident involved police responding to a report that she had attempted to jump in front of a subway train, according to records cited by The New York Times.

Her family has since spoken publicly, expressing shock over what happened.

Her father apologized to Piacenti’s family and said he was struggling to understand how his daughter could have become involved in such a tragedy.

A CAREER BUILT ON LAW AND AMBITION

Away from the tragedy, Piacenti was remembered as much more than a victim.

She was a University of Pennsylvania graduate and later earned her law degree from Fordham Law School.

She worked at Bank of America as a vice president in its Business Selection and Conflicts division.

Her colleagues described her as a valued member of the company.

Bank of America said it was “shocked and deeply saddened” by the loss of its colleague and extended its sympathy to her family and loved ones.

At Fordham, Piacenti had also met her future husband.

The couple graduated from the law school in 2021 and later built their home together in New Jersey.

Friends and family say her life was centered around the people she loved — especially the daughter she had only recently welcomed.

HER BABY GIRL IS NOW WITHOUT HER MOTHER

Perhaps the most heartbreaking detail is how new motherhood was still for Piacenti.

Madison was just five months old.

Her mother had only recently returned to work after spending those first precious months with her.

A GoFundMe campaign has since been established to support Madison’s future.

As of the latest reports, the campaign had attracted substantial public support from people moved by the story of a young mother whose life was abruptly taken while simply making her way home.

Piacenti’s family has asked for privacy as they grieve.

“HER LIFE WAS DEFINED BY THE WAY SHE LIVED”

The tragedy has shaken not only Piacenti’s family but also the community where she lived and worked.

People who never knew her personally have been left stunned by the circumstances.

She was not a public figure known for controversy.

She was a young attorney, a wife, a daughter, a colleague — and, most importantly to her family, a new mother.

Only days before the tragedy, she had been celebrating her daughter and the life she and her husband were building.

Now, that future has been changed forever.

And Madison will grow up with photographs, memories and stories of a mother who was only beginning the chapter of motherhood she had dreamed about.

Erin Piacenti was 32 years old.

She had just returned from maternity leave.

She was simply walking home.

And in the middle of one of the busiest places in America, everything changed in an instant.