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Venomous Scorpion Falls Out Of Dress When Woman Tries It On At Hayward JC Penney Store

HAYWARD (CBS SF) -- A woman trying on a dress in a Hayward JC Penney store found an unwelcome companion in the dressing room when a scorpion fell out of the garment onto the floor at her feet.

Sandra Hernandez of Hayward was in the fitting room of the Southland Mall Sunday when she pulled the dress up over her head, flinging the scorpion into the air, landing next to her.

"When I pulled the skirt down I gave it a shake, and when I gave it a shake the scorpion kind of - what I thought was string - opened up and went down to the floor," Hernandez told KPIX 5. "I was shocked I looked down, I said oh my God, oh my God, oh my God."

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The brown-yellow scorpion was about three inches long according to Hernandez.  She was able to corral the creature and called a store employee over to help.  A store manager tried to capture the scorpion in a bag, but it was able to slip away into a crevice.  Workers searched for the scorpion, but were unable to find it.

Scorpion Betty
Sandra Hernandez was shocked when a live scorpion reportedly dropped from a garment she was trying on inside a JC Penney's dressing room in Hayward. (Courtesy: Sandra Hernandez)

Hernandez, who is a former JC Penney employee called the corporate office to report the incident, and she says the company appeared to be trying to track down from where the garment originated.

"It was scary," Hernandez said she carried the dress around for about 30-minutes before entering the fitting room.

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