Sleepwalking Woman Tragically Drowns in New Jersey

OAKLYN, NEW JERSEY- If you are a regular user of Ambien or are in the habit of sleepwalking, this tragic story will probably scare the pants off you.

55-year-old Charlene Ferrero, a resident of Oaklyn, New Jersey, had a tendency to sleepwalk- appearing awake to those around her, but not entirely conscious or coherent. Over the weekend, Ferrero- a waitress at the nearby Starview Diner- disappeared from her home in the night. A concerned neighbor found her door unlocked, as well as her keys, purse and other items in plain view. Worried, the neighbor called police and locked the door.

Ferrero’s body was later removed from a local lake, and police believe the waitress fell from a train trestle while sleepwalking, leading to her drowning death. Somewhat unnervingly, just a week and a half ago, another neighbor reported an eerie middle-of-the-night encounter with a sleepwalking Ferrero. Teresa Cerini says that she woke after a knock to her front door in the middle of the night to find Ferrero, disoriented and apparently asleep. Cerini asked why she was at the door in the middle of the night, as the Daily Mail recounts:

‘And she goes, “I’m so sorry. The people at Table Two ordered the eggs,”‘ she told WPVI-TV.

Ms Cerini helped her friend home. Ms Ferrero said she used to sleepwalk as a child.

‘I said, “Guess what, honey? You still do,”‘ Ms Cerini told her, telling her also that the behaviour was ‘scary and dangerous.’

Ferrero’s death was ruled an accident, and toxicology reports are pending.