The brother of Pamela Cisneros, the woman shot dead by police after fatally stabbing a Bank of America executive and injuring another man in Times Square, has spoken publicly about her life and the mental health struggles she'd faced in the years leading up to the attack.
What happened in Times Square
Police say Cisneros, 49, of Queens, stabbed 68-year-old Tak Kam and, moments later, 32-year-old Erin Piacenti, in what authorities described as a random and unprovoked attack on Monday. Officers spent several minutes attempting to get Cisneros to put down the knives she was carrying before opening fire when she continued approaching them. Piacenti died from her injuries; Kam survived and is in stable condition. Cisneros was pronounced dead at the same hospital. Authorities have said the attack was not terror-related.
Her brother's account
Speaking to The New York Post, Cisneros' brother, Patrick Peralta, said he'd last seen her in person on 10 August at a family celebration, and that she'd told relatives she was doing fine as recently as the Saturday before the attack. He said he initially didn't realise the news coverage of the stabbing involved his own sister, only recognising her once photos from the scene emerged.
Peralta described Cisneros as someone who had never shown signs of aggression or violence, saying he doesn't know what led to the attack. He said she had been diagnosed with a mental health condition, believed to be bipolar disorder, had experienced postpartum depression following the birth of her second child, and had a history of a serious mental health crisis several years earlier. He said she'd been receiving regular treatment, and speculated she may have recently stopped it, which he believes could explain the change in her behaviour.
He also said Cisneros had regularly visited their mother but had stopped doing so in the week before the attack, without any clear explanation at the time.
A documented history with police
Reports indicate Cisneros had prior contact with the NYPD dating back to 2018, along with reported police encounters in several other states that couldn't be independently verified. Court records show her husband filed for divorce in Florida in 2020, with the case concluding in 2025. Peralta said Cisneros had three daughters, two of whom live with their father in Florida, and a third who lives in a care home in Brooklyn.
A longtime neighbour who had known Cisneros since childhood expressed disbelief over the attack, describing her as someone who had always been kind and saying she couldn't understand what had happened.
Posts referencing religion and end-times beliefs
Social media posts attributed to Cisneros show she had increasingly turned to religious writing over the past year, including references to global unrest and what she described as signs of biblical end times. In some posts, she wrote about people hearing voices urging them toward harmful acts, framing it within a religious context.
Officials respond
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani both defended the officers' use of force, though the shooting will undergo the standard investigation applied to all officer-involved shootings in the city. Mamdani thanked the responding officers, saying their actions prevented the situation from becoming worse.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988, chat at 988lifeline.org, or text MHA to 741741 to reach Crisis Text Line.
