NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A woman was fatally shot by police in Times Square on Monday, minutes after authorities said she went on a stabbing spree, killing a 32-year-old woman and injuring a 68-year-old man.
Multiple calls to 911 were made at about 4:24 p.m. reporting a woman armed with two knives who was stabbing people along Seventh Avenue in Times Square, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press conference Monday evening.
These are the knives recovered from the scene. pic.twitter.com/GvoOcSZ7Gj
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) August 31, 2026
The preliminary investigation indicates that the attacks began near West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue, where the alleged perpetrator—identified as 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros of Queens—approached the first victim, who had just exited the subway and was waiting to cross the street with his wife.
A witness told investigators that at that point, the assailant removed two knives from a red Target bag and stabbed the 68-year-old in the right side of the abdomen. He was transported to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue where he is in stable condition.
About 20 seconds later, as Cisneros walked closer to West 42nd Street, police said she approached the second victim and stabbed her in the abdomen. The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital where she was pronounced dead. She was identified Tuesday as Erin Piacenti, of New Jersey.
Witnesses flagged down officers who circled Cisneros between West 42nd and West 43rd Street. She was still armed with both knives, and Tisch said the officers engaged in dialogue with her for four minutes, giving numerous commands for her to drop the weapons.
In response, she told officers “I’m not dropping anything. I would rather kill both of you. I will kill you,” Tisch said.
After refusing their commands, multiple officers discharged tasers on the suspect, which proved ineffective. As Ciseneros advanced toward the officers, police said that two discharged their weapons, striking her. She was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital, officials said.
Video footage obtained by 1010 WINS from witnesses at the scene show the suspect, apparently Ciserneros, swinging what appear to be two knives in large circles while surrounded by a group of officers. Police deploy several tasers, but she continues to advance toward the officers until shots are fired.
Cisneros has a documented mental health history with the NYPD, with one incident in 2018 and one in 2019, authorities said. She had no arrest history with the department.
“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,” Tisch said. “Our officers were confronted with a rapidly evolving threat with countless innocent people around them in that moment. They did what we trained them to do.”
The incident was caught on police-worn body camera and an investigation is ongoing. The NYPD said it has no reason to believe this incident was an act of terrorism.
“I want to thank the NYPD officers who stepped in and prevented a horrific attack from becoming even worse,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said. “This is what the men and women of this department do every single day to keep our city safe, as is standard.”
