A GoFundMe fundraiser established to support the infant daughter of Erin Piacenti, an executive who was fatally stabbed in Times Square, has garnered nearly $500,000 in donations. Piacenti, 32, was killed on Monday in what the fundraiser describes as a "random, senseless, and unprovoked attack."
Piacenti had recently returned to work after maternity leave following the birth of her 5-month-old daughter, Madison. The fundraiser stated that becoming a mother was Piacenti's lifelong ambition and that Madison brought her immense joy. "This fund has been established to support Madison and her future," reads the GoFundMe page. "It offers the many people who loved Erin, knew her, worked with her, or have simply been moved by her story a way to honor Erin by helping care for the daughter she loved more than anything."
The attack occurred on Piacenti's first day back at work after her maternity leave. The assailant, Pamela Cisneros, was shot and killed by NYPD officers after she charged at them wielding two kitchen knives and ignored commands to drop the weapons. The fundraiser noted that "Erin's life was defined not by the circumstances of her death, but instead by the way she lived." It described Piacenti as deeply devoted to her family and friends, exceptionally bright and accomplished, and a person who brought warmth and energy to those around her.
Piacenti held a vice president position at Bank of America. She lived in Chester, New Jersey, and had recently celebrated her second wedding anniversary with her husband. The couple had recently returned from a family road trip and were anticipating their future together before the incident. "That life changed incomprehensibly in an instant," the fundraiser stated.