‘Irony of fate’ in New York: a woman married a stranger who drunkenly snuck into her house and fell asleep
The advent of dating apps, which provide an endless stream of potential partners, has all but eliminated the quaint hope of meeting the perfect match when we least expect it.
However, for Katherine Johnston from Highland Falls, New York, this is exactly what happened – only it was not at all like love at first sight. The couple shared their amazing dating story with the Daily Mail.
Katherine first met her husband Michael Johnston after calling police after finding him – a complete stranger at the time – sleeping on her sofa in the early hours of the morning back in 2016. The terrified 22-year-old, who had “had too much fun” and didn’t get home until 8am, snuck up on the snoring intruder and used her phone’s flashlight to try to figure out who he was.
After making sure that it was not her sister’s friend, the alarmed girls left the family home and called the police, who rushed to the scene within minutes. The police woke up a confused Michael and, to the relief of his sisters, took him out of the house.
Katherine was asked to check for missing or broken items in the house, and despite there being no obvious signs of damage, the sisters agreed to press charges just in case. The stranger, Michael Johnston, was charged with second-degree criminal trespass and his sketch was published in the local newspaper for the entire town to see.
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Over time, Katherine realized that it was an innocent mistake and dropped the charges against him. A distraught Michael came to her home with a letter and flowers to apologize to the entire family for the stress he had caused. This is how the first meeting with his future relatives took place.
Katherine’s story
Catherine, now 29, said: “We’re laughing and can’t believe that’s how we met and are now married and have a family. It’s a beautiful story, albeit a stupid one. I wouldn’t change a thing and I think it makes our love even stronger.” My husband is a wonderful man and I am very lucky to have him. We are very lucky to have each other.”
“I was very nervous that day, because I didn’t know who he was and what his intentions were, but he was just sleeping peacefully. My main concern was getting my sister and I out of the house and making sure we were safe.”
Katherine, who lives near the military academy, said she initially thought Michael was a cadet who had wandered into her home drunk after visiting a nearby bar where recruits like to hang out.
But, having told her friends about the strange meeting, Katherine soon realized that she and Michael had mutual friends, and after a request from one of his colleagues, she dropped the accusations against him. After that, she called the district court, spoke with the prosecutor, and the guy was cleared of the charges, but he still had to do 50 hours of community service.
Michael’s story
“Katherine always brings out the best in me and she is a great mom.”
Michael, a native of Washington, New Hampshire, said he was scared as hell by what happened. Before he woke up, he heard walkie-talkies above him and quickly realized that the situation was not good. “If you’re woken up by the police and you don’t know where you are, that’s not a good sign.”
On the evening before, he met with work colleagues and got very drunk, although, according to the guy, this is not at all like him. He asked one of his colleagues to spend the night at his house. Apparently, having mixed up the houses, he ended up at Catherine’s and fell asleep on her sofa.
“This is the only time I was arrested. I was in a paranoid state at the time and didn’t want it to affect my work.” After the incident, the guy took Katherine’s number from a friend because he wanted to talk to her family and tell them that it was a big misunderstanding and he didn’t mean anything bad. The girl’s father said this could happen to anyone. They just wanted to make sure I was sincere in my words.
After his sincere apology, the couple added each other on social networks, but since Katherine had a boyfriend at the time, their communication was purely friendly. It wasn’t until a year later, when she broke up with her partner and Michael invited her to a Fourth of July party, that the couple started dating. On December 30, 2020, Michael proposed to her in Central Park, and on May 14, 2022, they married and welcomed their first child, Mila Johnston, in February 2023.