A video circulating online has drawn attention after the fatal stabbing of Bank of America vice president Erin Piacenti in New York's Times Square.
The video is being circulated as showing the woman identified by police as Pamela Cisneros before the deadly attack, but the exact circumstances and timing of the video need to be verified independently.
Piacenti, 32, was fatally stabbed on Monday afternoon, August 31, in one of the busiest tourist areas of New York City. Police described the attack as random and unprovoked. Another 68-year-old man was stabbed and hospitalized.
According to authorities, Cisneros, 49, from Queens, was carrying two large knives during the attack. Police said she first attacked the male victim before approaching Piacenti near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue. Piacenti suffered serious injuries and was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where she died.
The suspect was confronted by NYPD officers. Police said she refused to drop the knives and made threats against officers.
Tasers were initially used but officers fired their weapons when she moved toward them. Cisneros was pronounced dead at the scene.
The video has added yet another layer to the investigation and social media users are trying to piece together what happened in the moments before the attack.
Circula un video de la mujer que le quitó la vida a Erin Piacenti en Time Square la vicepresidente de Bank Of America antes de cometer el hecho. pic.twitter.com/q5R8pdXnfk
— EtE Ke Ta Ki 🫥 (@raulm1844) September 2, 2026
But video from social media can fail to be verified or to provide context or to come from sources that have been verified. Viewers should not take unverified footage as evidence of an attack.
Piacenti was a Bank of America vice president and lawyer. She had graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and later received a law degree from Fordham Law School in 2021.
Her death has prompted messages of grief from her employer and academic institutions. Bank of America said it was “shocked and deeply saddened” by the loss of its colleague.
The tragedy was also a bigger story because it happened in Times Square, a busy part of Manhattan where people are drawn in and the police are present. Public safety in crowded cities has just reemerged in the news.
The police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the attack, from the suspect’s movements before the attack and the violent encounter with police, authorities said.
There is no evidence that terrorism was involved in the attack, said U.S. officials.
The most reliable information is from the police and established news media. Social media footage should be viewed with caution until investigators have established its origin, timing, and relevance to the case.
