A devastating photo has surfaced of a young mother who was killed after police say she was stabbed by a knife-wielding woman in the heart of Times Square.
Erin Piacenti, 32, from Chester, New Jersey, died Monday afternoon after being stabbed in the stomach by 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros Lopez, officials said.
A GoFundMe fundraiser created in her memory shows Piacenti smiling brightly while cradling her newborn daughter, Madison, beside her husband, Frank.
According to the fundraiser, Monday marked Piacenti’s first day back in the office after maternity leave. She worked as a vice president at Bank of America.
Piacenti was on West 41st Street in Midtown Manhattan when Lopez allegedly approached her and stabbed her in what authorities described as a random attack.
Lopez was finally stopped by officers after the random stabbing spree, in which she also knifed 68-year-old Tak Kam in the stomach.
A post to the fundraiser, which has already brought in over $95,000, 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.
Piacenti, her daughter Madison and her husband Frank are seen here together
Piacenti is seen here in an image shared to the fundraiser holding her baby daughter Madison
‘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.
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‘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.’
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
Both Tisch and Mayor Mamdani praised the officers, saying more people could have been hurt or killed if not for their actions.
This is a breaking news story.