
New, poignant details have been released about 32-year-old Erin Piacenti, one of the victims of the Times Square stabbing attack in the heart of New York.
Piacenti, who was a vice president at Bank of America, was not only a successful professional. To her family and friends, she was a devoted wife, a loving daughter, and above all, a young mother who had just begun a new chapter in life.
Erin left behind her daughter Madison, just five months old.
"Erin's life was not defined by the circumstances of her death, but by how she lived it," the 32-year-old's family said in a statement.
Relatives describe Erin as a woman devoted to family and friends, very accomplished in her profession, and a person who brought warmth and energy to those around her.
"Becoming a mother was the greatest desire of her life and Madison gave her the greatest joy possible," says the fundraising page created for the little girl's future.
Erin and her husband, Frank Piacenti, met at Fordham University Law School and later pursued careers in law and business.
The couple married on August 10, 2024, and were building the life they had dreamed of. They had celebrated their wedding anniversary, returned from a family trip, and were preparing for the future together with their newborn daughter.
Just a year earlier, the couple had purchased their first home in Chester, New Jersey, where they had begun to build their family life.
"Both were preparing to build a life with their daughter. That life changed unimaginably in an instant," the family said.
Now, the family's main concern is the future of Madison, who will grow up without her mother. For this reason, the family has launched a fundraising campaign, calling on people who wish to honor Erin's memory to contribute to the girl's future.
The 32-year-old's death has also shocked her colleagues at Bank of America, where she had worked for about 18 months as a vice president in the business selection and conflicts group.
Colleagues described her as a very gracious and loving professional, while the bank expressed its sorrow for the loss of "a valued colleague and friend."
Erin Piacenti was stabbed by Pamela Cisneros, 49, a mother of three from Queens, who authorities said had chronic mental health problems.
Tak Kam, 68, a father from Rhode Island, was also seriously injured in the same attack.
Cisneros was shot dead by New York City police officers after, according to authorities, he attempted to attack them while holding a knife in each hand.
The attack took Erin's life at a time when she had just begun to build the family she had dreamed of, leaving behind her husband and young daughter, who would one day know her mother through the memories of the people who loved her.