Pamela Cisneros Lopez, 49, died after fatally stabbing Bank of America Vice President Erin Piacenti, 32, and injuring a 68-year-old man during an incident in Times Square on Monday afternoon. Police responded to the scene and discharged their weapons, killing Lopez.
Lopez's brother, Patrick Peralta, told the Daily Mail that his sister had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder approximately 10 years prior, following a period of postpartum depression. He stated that Lopez had struggled with her mental health for years, including an attempted suicide in 2019 when she reportedly threw herself in front of a train. However, Peralta indicated that Lopez had been managing her condition with medication and appeared to be doing well in the years leading up to the attack, even caring for their mother after surgeries.
Peralta described his sister as the youngest of six children and a daily churchgoer who had worked in HR. He noted that Lopez had been experiencing a protracted divorce for five to eight years. Additionally, Lopez had been estranged from her two daughters, who lived with their father in Florida, for several years due to her past mental health struggles. Her third child, who has severe autism, resides in a care facility in Brooklyn.
Lopez was not at her scheduled job on Monday, the day of the attack. Her brother recognized her from news footage of the incident and subsequently contacted the police. "I don't know what was going through her head, but I think she wanted to get shot," Peralta told the Daily Mail, expressing shock at her actions as she was never previously violent. He also extended condolences to the victims' families on behalf of his family.
Erin Piacenti, a resident of Chester, New Jersey, was identified as the Bank of America executive who died in the attack. The company released a statement describing Piacenti as a "valued teammate" and expressing condolences to her family and friends. Social media indicated she had recently celebrated her second wedding anniversary. The 68-year-old man injured in the attack is recovering in the hospital.