Times Square stabbing! Brother reveals troubled past
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A deadly stabbing in the heart of New York City has taken a new turn as the family of the attacker reveals years of mental-health struggles before she suddenly erupted in violence in crowded Times Square. In the Times Square stabbing Pamela Cisneros, 49, attacked two strangers near Seventh Avenue and West 41st Street Monday afternoon, killing 32-year-old Bank of America executive Erin Piacenti and seriously injuring a 68-year-old man, according to police.
Officers later confronted Cisneros as she wielded two large kitchen knives near an NYPD substation. Police first used Tasers before opening fire as she advanced toward them. Cisneros later died at Bellevue Hospital.
Now her brother, Patrick Peralta, says the woman seen charging officers bore little resemblance to the sister he knew.
“She never showed any aggressiveness or being violent. I don’t know what happened,” Peralta told the New York Post.
According to Peralta, Cisneros had struggled with what he believed was bipolar disorder and had received mental-health treatment for years. He said she was receiving monthly injections and had appeared stable.
Brother says there were few warning signs
Peralta said he last saw his sister at a family birthday celebration in August. Relatives had also recently spoken with her and saw no obvious sign of an approaching crisis.
“There was no sign something was wrong,” he told the Post.
Cisneros had three daughters, according to family accounts. Two lived in Florida with their father, while another daughter with autism lived in a Brooklyn care facility.
Her brother said she had also gone through a difficult divorce and had struggled emotionally for years.
There were serious warning signs in the past.
Peralta said his sister’s mental health reached a crisis point in 2019, when she attempted suicide by going onto train tracks at Jamaica station before another person pulled her to safety. He said she later improved while taking medication.
He also told reporters that she had seemed “fine” for years before Monday’s attack.
Peralta speculated that she may have missed a regular medication injection, but that has not been confirmed by medical authorities.
The victim Erin Piacenti just celebrated the second wedding anniversary.
Random attack in Times Square
The violence unfolded shortly before 4:30 p.m. in one of New York’s busiest tourist districts.
Police say Cisneros stabbed a 68-year-old man before attacking Piacenti, apparently without provocation.
Piacenti was a vice president in Bank of America’s Business Selection and Conflicts unit. She had recently celebrated her second wedding anniversary.
Police soon located Cisneros nearby.
Video showed her holding a knife in each hand while officers repeatedly ordered her to drop the weapons. Tasers failed to stop her before officers fired as she moved toward them.
Investigators have not established a motive, and there is no indication the attack was terrorism-related.
Times Square Stabbing: Family apologizes to victims
For Cisneros’ family, the aftermath has brought a devastating double shock: the realization that their relative killed an innocent woman and wounded another person, followed by Cisneros’ own death.
Peralta said the family was horrified by what happened and apologized directly to the victims.
“My entire family is so sorry for the two victims,” he said.
“We never wish hurt on anybody and we are so, so sorry that happened to them.”
Bank of America also mourned Piacenti, calling her a valued teammate who would be greatly missed.
