Times Square Tragedy Victim’s Family Releases Emotional Statement After Her Death – Here’s What They Said

A Young Family’s Future ‘Changed Incomprehensibly’

Piacenti and her husband had reached another milestone shortly before the tragedy. The couple celebrated their second wedding anniversary during the summer and had recently returned from a family road trip. With their five-month-old daughter beside them, they had been preparing for an entirely different future.

Then came the family’s devastating summation: “That life changed incomprehensibly in an instant.” Those words also explain why the fundraiser is focused not simply on memorializing Piacenti, but on the little girl she left behind.

Keeping Piacenti’s Memory Alive for Her Daughter

The family said the fund was established specifically to help Madison and her future: “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 family’s hope extends far beyond financial assistance, as they want Piacenti’s little girl to grow up knowing exactly who her mother was:

“Funds raised will be dedicated to supporting Madison as she grows up surrounded by the family, friends, stories, and memories that will allow her to know just how remarkable her mother was.”

The outpouring of love for the family and the response to the GoFundMe page has already been considerable. With a fundraising goal of $750,000, the campaign has so far collected more than $460,000.

The fundraiser was organized by Frank’s brother-in-law, Shray, in consultation with Frank and Piacenti’s family. According to the page, all money raised will go directly to Piacenti’s husband to support their daughter.

For Piacenti’s loved ones, however, the message behind the fundraiser appears just as important as the money itself.

A daughter who will grow up without her mother will instead grow up surrounded by her stories, her memories, and the people who knew her best — ensuring that the most terrible day of Erin Piacenti’s life never becomes the only thing by which she is remembered.

The Second Victim from the Times Square Tragedy

For a time, the surviving victim was described publicly only as a 68-year-old man. His identity has since emerged. The second victim was Tak Kam, a Rhode Island resident who had traveled to New York City to visit his son.

Kam had reportedly just left a subway station and was standing with his wife, waiting to cross the street, when Cisneros approached. According to USA Today, investigators were told that Cisneros pulled two knives from the red Target bag before waving them and stabbing Kam in the right side of his abdomen.

He was transported to Bellevue Hospital and was listed in stable condition. Authorities subsequently said Kam was expected to recover. Like Piacenti, there was no indication in the information released that Kam had any prior connection with Cisneros.

The two victims were attacked in rapid succession, turning what appeared to be an ordinary afternoon for both into something unimaginable.

Police Had Encountered Pamela Cisneros Years Earlier

Questions quickly emerged about Cisneros and whether authorities had previously encountered her. As it turns out, they had. Police Commissioner Tisch said Cisneros had two previous encounters with the NYPD, although she had no New York City criminal record. The first came on December 20, 2018.

Officers reportedly found Cisneros screaming and behaving belligerently on Lexington Avenue near East 49th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Police determined that she was intoxicated. Less than four months later, on March 6, 2019, Cisneros was involved in another serious incident.

According to the police report, she attempted to jump in front of a southbound E train at the Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike subway station in Queens. She survived. Those incidents became even more significant after Cisneros’ family began describing what they said had been a decades-long struggle with mental illness.