Pamela Cisneros’ family says they had seen signs that something was changing before the August 31, 2026, Times Square attack.

Her father, Mario Cisneros, told ABC7 that he had recently seen his daughter and believed she appeared to be doing well. He said her mental-health struggles had emerged after the birth of one of her children, which led him to believe she had experienced postpartum depression.

Her brother Patrick Peralta also described a woman who had struggled with mental-health problems for years but whom he had never known to seriously harm another person. According to family accounts, her condition appeared to worsen in the period leading up to the Times Square incident.

Then came the encounter with Erin Piacenti.

On August 31, Piacenti, a 32-year-old Bank of America vice president and new mother returning to work after maternity leave, was attacked in Times Square. She later died, while another man was injured.

Cisneros had reportedly experienced previous mental-health crises, including incidents that brought police attention in 2018 and 2019. Her family is now left trying to understand how someone they believed they knew could reach such a devastating point.

The investigation into the Times Square incident remains ongoing, while Erin’s family continues to mourn a young mother whose life was suddenly cut short.

SOURCES:

• ABC7 New York — Pamela Cisneros’ father speaks out