’90s child star recalls harrowing story of nearly being kidnapped from set

“Growing Pains” alum Ashley Johnson revealed she almost sewage kidnapped by a man pinch a weapon while connected nan group of nan ’90s sitcom.

The actress, now 42, told nan alarming communicative during her quality on nan “Weird Kids” podcast earlier this month, recalling really a man grabbed her while she was stepping pinch her mom and started running.

At nan time, nan unrecorded workplace assemblage members were “within 5 feet” from nan stars erstwhile they exited their trailers.

Even much alarming, she said a instrumentality had written to nan show up of nan attempted kidnapping saying, “I americium coming to group and I americium going to bring a weapon and I americium going to execution immoderate of nan cast.”

Johnson recalled, “So, I’m stepping pinch my mom, and past I conscionable retrieve immoderate feline hops retired of nan line, and he grabs me, and grabs maine up and starts booking it. And each I retrieve is location was information that someway sewage connected him aft immoderate time.”

“Security came out, they wrestle him down, and I retrieve conscionable flying astir nan air,” she continued.

Johnson said she was “clueless” during nan incident, but remembered being upset because she thought she was going to beryllium successful problem since nan kidnapper took 1 of her shoes.

“He ended up intelligibly going to jail,” she shared. “He had a gun.”

“And, you know, they sewage him, and they saved me,” she continued.

Johnson played Chrissy Seaver connected “Growing Pains” from 1990 to 1992. The incident happened during her first twelvemonth of filming, meaning she was only 6 aliases 7 years aged astatine nan time.

The character joined nan ABC sitcom successful its 4th season, playing nan youngest kid of Dr. Jason Seaver (played by nan precocious Alan Thicke) and his wife, Maggie (Joanna Kerns). Her on-screen siblings included Mike (Kirk Cameron), Carol (Tracey Gold) and Ben (Jeremy Miller).

The show ran for 7 seasons betwixt 1985 and 1992.

Outside of “Growing Pains,” Johnson is champion known for voicing Gretchen Grundler connected “Recess” and Gwen Tennyson successful nan “Ben 10” beingness arsenic good arsenic starring connected “Blindspot” and providing nan sound and mobility seizure for Ellie successful “The Last of Us” video games.

Thicke died successful December 2016 aft suffering a bosom attack. He was 69 years old.

His “Growing Pains” co-stars attended his memorial successful Los Angeles, including Cameron, Kerns, Gold and Miller.

Leonardo DiCaprio — who appeared connected nan show’s seventh and last play arsenic Luke Brower, a bum teen who gets taken successful by nan Seavers — besides paid his respects to Thicke astatine nan memorial.