We present an abundance analysis of the star Cernis 52 in whose spectrum we recently reported the naphthalene cation in absorption at 6707.4 Å. This star is on a line of sight to the Perseus molecular complex. The analysis of high-resolution spectra using a χ2-minimization procedure and a grid of synthetic spectra provides the stellar parameters and the abundances of O, Mg, Si, S, Ca, and Fe. The stellar parameters of this star are found to be T _eff = 8350 ± 200 K, log(g/cm s²)=4.2 ± 0.4 dex. We derived a metallicity of [Fe/H] = –0.01 ± 0.15. These stellar parameters are consistent with a star of ~2 M _☉ in a pre-main-sequence evolutionary stage. The stellar spectrum is significantly veiled in the spectral range λλ5150-6730 Å up to almost 55% of the total flux at 5150 Å and decreasing toward longer wavelengths. Using Johnson-Cousins and Two Micron All Sky Survey photometric data, we determine a distance to Cernis 52 of 231⁺¹³⁵ _–85 pc considering the error bars of the stellar parameters. This determination places the star at a similar distance to the young cluster IC 348. This together with its radial velocity, v_r = 13.7 ± 1 km s^–1, its proper motion and probable young age support Cernis 52 as a likely member of IC 348. We determine a rotational velocity of vsin i = 65 ± 5 km s^–1 for this star. We confirm that the stellar resonance line of Li I at 6707.8 Å is unable to fit the broad feature at 6707.4 Å. This feature should have a interstellar origin and could possibly form in the dark cloud L1470 surrounding all the cluster IC 348 at about the same distance.