The storybook life of a new mom with a promising banking career was tragically cut short in an instant after a random run-in with a knife-wielding maniac in Times Square on Monday.

Erin Piacenti, 32, soared to a coveted vice president position at Bank of America, lived in an idyllic home along a wooded lane in tony Chester, New Jersey, and recently celebrated her second wedding anniversary with her beloved husband.

Five months ago, the high-powered young couple welcomed a baby girl into their charmed lives.

Piacenti ended her maternity leave this week, counting her blessings – a newborn, husband and joyous travels – in a radiant social media post first reported by the New York Times.

After Piacenti finished her first day back at work, the buoyant mom headed home through Times Square – where her path crossed with Pamela Cisneros, 49, who stabbed her in the abdomen with a kitchen knife, killing her, police and sources said.

The senseless killing – which came just moments after Cisneros knifed and seriously wounded Tak Kam, a 68-year-old Rhode Island dad – cut down a woman not only in her prime, but at the cusp of a new life.

“One life, cut far too short by a senseless act of violence,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Monday.

Nearly 14 years to the day Piacenti was slain in Times Square, she posted a photo on Facebook showing herself in The Crossroads of the World, about to start college at the University of Pennsylvania.

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The young Erin Guiltinan – her maiden name – studied political science and gleefully sang in a campus a cappella group, social media posts and videos show.

After graduating in 2016, she attended Fordham Law along with her future husband, Frank Piacenti, university officials confirmed.

“We are heartbroken to learn of the tragic and senseless loss of our alumna, Erin (Guiltinan) Piacenti,” a Fordham spokesperson said.

“Erin and her husband, Frank, graduated in 2021 and have been cherished members of the Fordham Law family. During this devastating time, our thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathies are with Frank, their families, and all who knew and loved Erin.”

The young couple worked their respective ways up the legal and corporate ladders, with Erin Piacenti doing stints as a Major League Baseball legal intern and an associate at the elite Davis Polk & Wardwell law firm before landing at Bank of America a little over a year ago, according to her LinkedIn.

Frank Piacenti followed a similar high-powered path, clerking for federal judges before joining the Kasowitz law firm, where he specializes in commercial litigation, according to the firm’s site.

The Piacentis tied the knot on Aug. 10, 2024, with photos from the wedding showing the pair beaming as they walked hand-in-hand following the ceremony in Long Beach Island, NJ.

Erin Piacenti, in the post first reported by the Times, wrote about being grateful for getting five months off to care for her new daughter, noting that the baby had just been baptized and that the trio had recently traveled to Long Beach Island, Maine and Rhode Island.

The aftermath of the attack that ended Piacenti’s vibrant life was captured in heart-pounding video showing Cisneros – a mom of three whose family said she long suffered from mental health struggles – facing off with cops and approaching them, blades in hand. Police shot Cisneros, and she died from her wounds.

The other stabbing victim, Kam, was heading to a Rhode Island-bound Amtrak train after a visit with his son in Brooklyn when Cisneros knifed him, sources said. 

Kam, who remained hospitalized Tuesday and his son – a vice president at Citigroup, sources said – didn’t return calls for comment.

Piacenti’s family and friends declined to comment or didn’t return calls.

The tragedy cut her colleagues at Bank of America to the core, an internal email obtained by The Post revealed. 

Piacenti worked 18 months in the bank’s business selection and conflicts team, where many employees spoke with her every day, wrote Matthew Koder, president for Global Corporate and Investment Banking.

“Her loss is being felt deeply by many,” Koder wrote.

“This is an unacceptable and horrible incident, and a heartbreaking loss for Erin’s family, loved ones, and all who knew her.”

A Bank of America spokesperson publicly echoed the private grief expressed in the email

“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague. She was a valued teammate who will be greatly missed. Our hearts go out to her family and all of her loved ones,” Bank of America spokesperson John Yiannacopoulos said.

— Additional reporting by Kevin Sheehan