Erin Piacenti, a 32-year-old Bank of America vice president from Chester, New Jersey, has been remembered by her family as a devoted mother after she was killed in a random stabbing in Times Square, New York. She died on Monday afternoon after being attacked with a knife by Pamela Cisneros Lopez, 49, on her first day back at the office following maternity leave. The attack has drawn widespread attention, prompting a fundraiser for her infant daughter and renewed scrutiny of how the city handles violent incidents involving untreated mental illness in public spaces.

Piacenti was stabbed in the stomach on West 41st Street while Lopez also injured a 68-year-old man in the same spree before being shot by police after refusing to drop her knives. A GoFundMe set up for Piacenti's newborn daughter, Madison, has raised more than $95,000, describing Piacenti as bright, accomplished and deeply devoted to her family, including husband Frank, whom she had recently celebrated a second wedding anniversary with. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Lopez had a documented mental health history, including two prior incidents in 2018 and 2019, but had never been arrested; Lopez's brother later said she had suffered from bipolar disorder and postpartum depression for around a decade.