A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Fordham Law, she had recently celebrated her second wedding anniversary and purchased her first home with her husband.

Erin Piacenti was 32 years old and building a solid career in the U.S. financial sector when she died on Monday, the victim of a random attack in the heart of Times Square. A resident of Chester, a small town in New Jersey, she had been working at Bank of America for a year and a half as a vice president in the business selection and conflicts department—a role focused on risk analysis and integrity regarding the bank’s operations.

Before entering the banking industry, Erin had an impressive academic background. She graduated in 2016 from the University of Pennsylvania, one of the most respected insтιтutions in the United States, and completed her law degree in 2021 at Fordham University School of Law in New York, one of the country’s most established law schools. Colleagues and former professors described the news of her  death as a shock, highlighting how well-liked she was by those who knew her during her time in school.

In her personal life, Erin was enjoying a period of recent milestones. She had just celebrated her second wedding anniversary with her husband, Frank—also a lawyer—and the couple had recently bought their first home together in Chester. Friends and family described her as someone who had participated in choirs and a cappella groups since childhood, a pᴀssion she carried into adulthood.

Erin’s death caused an outpouring of grief at Bank of America; the company described the loss as tragic and highlighted her dedication to her team. The incident also drew attention because she was walking just a few meters from the bank’s Manhattan office when she was struck—at one of the world’s busiest and most tourist-heavy intersections—reinforcing the feeling among colleagues that the tragedy could have happened to anyone moving through the area at that time.