The Bank of America vice president murdered by a knife-wielding woman in Times Square was remembered as ‘deeply devoted’ to her family in a touching tribute.
Erin Piacenti, 32, of Chester in the Garden State, died after being stabbed in the stomach by Pamela Cisneros Lopez, 49, on Monday afternoon, officials said.
An online fundraiser has since emerged showing Piacenti beaming as she held onto her newborn baby daughter Madison alongside her husband Frank.
A tribute posted to the page said: ‘Erin’s life was defined not by the circumstances of her death, but instead by the way she lived.
‘Erin was deeply devoted to her family and friends, exceptionally bright and accomplished, and was someone who brought warmth and energy to the people around her.
‘Erin and Frank celebrated their second wedding anniversary this summer, had just returned from a family road trip upon her passing, and were preparing to build a life together with their new daughter. That life changed incomprehensibly in an instant.
‘Funds raised will be dedicated to supporting Madison as she grows up surrounded by the family, friends, stories, and memories that will allow her to know just how remarkable her mother was.’
Monday was the first day that Piacenti returned to the office after maternity leave, loved ones said.
Erin Piacenti, 32, her daughter Madison and her husband Frank are seen here together. The family shared a heartbreaking tribute remembering Piacenti as a devoted mom
Piacenti is seen here in an image shared to an online fundraiser holding her baby daughter Madison
She was standing on West 41st street in Midtown, Manhattan, when she was approached by Lopez and stabbed at random.
Lopez was finally stopped by officers after the random stabbing spree, in which she also injured 68-year-old Tak Kam by stabbing him in the stomach.
Footage emerged earlier this week showing officers firing a taser at Lopez, from Queens, as she refused to back down and waved the two kitchen knives at them.
Police then shot the woman, and she immediately fell to the ground where she was handcuffed and given first aid.
At a press conference alongside Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Lopez had told officers during a brief standoff: ‘I’m not dropping anything, I would rather kill both of you.’
Tisch told reporters: ‘This was an extraordinarily dangerous situation unfolding in the heart of Times Square, the crossroads of the world.
‘At any given moment, there are thousands of New Yorkers, commuters, tourists, families, workers moving through these streets.’
She added that Lopez has a ‘documented mental health history’ with the department which included two incidents in 2018 and 2019 but she was never arrested.
Pamela Cisneros Lopez was fatally gunned down after running at officers with the two kitchen knives
Piacenti was standing on West 41st street in Midtown, Manhattan, on Monday when she was approached by Lopez and stabbed at random
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Both Tisch and Mayor Mamdani praised the officers, saying more people could have been hurt or killed if not for their actions.
Lopez’s brother, Patrick Peralta, 58, told the Daily Mail on Tuesday that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder about ten years ago, following a bout of postpartum depression after the birth of her second child around a decade before that.
Peralta spoke at their mother’s home in Jackson Heights, Queens, where they grew up and where their relatives have gathered after hearing the news.
The 58-year-old said that they were a tight-knit family, and that Lopez was the youngest of six. She worked as an HR employee and was a daily church-goer.
Peralta said that Lopez had struggled with postpartum depression since her children’s birth, and had tried to bring them up for years until she could no longer cope.
‘I think she felt like she hadn’t accomplished anything with her life because she was at home with the kids,’ Peralta told the Daily Mail.
Lopez had also been ‘going through a divorce for the past five to eight years,’ and Peralta said he wasn’t sure whether it had been finalized.
Peralta, who works as a surgical technician in the city, said Lopez’s mental health reached a crisis point in March 2019, when she attempted suicide.
Lopez’s brother said his sister had previously attempted suicide but seemed to have gotten her mental health back on track in recent times
Police released an image of the two knives recovered at the scene following the double stabbing
‘She threw herself on the train tracks at Jamaica station,’ he said. ‘Somebody pulled her off the tracks.’
However, since then, Lopez had been turning her life around while taking medication for bipolar disorder and had seemed ‘fine’ for about six years, he said.
Peralta said he recognized his sister in footage of the stabbing on the news and called police.
‘It was the worst thing I have ever watched,’ he told the Daily Mail. ‘I had a premonition that it was her and called the police.
‘I don’t know what was going through her head, but I think she wanted to get shot. I don’t know where the rage came from. I was in shock because she was never violent. I’m still numb.’
‘She seemed normal the last time I saw her – there were no signs that something like this could happen,’ he added.
‘She was taking medication – she gave herself injections every month. Maybe she didn’t take the last one and started going off track after that.’
Police are investigating. Tisch said there was no evidence suggesting it was a terrorist attack.
