Child Star's Near-Kidnapping Nightmare on Set Revealed

“Growing Pains” alum Ashley Johnson faced a life-threatening situation when a man with a gun attempted to kidnap her on set.

During her recent appearance on the “Weird Kids” podcast, Johnson, now 42, recounted the harrowing moment when a man lunged at her while she walked with her mother, dragging her away.

Live studio audience members were just “within five feet” of the stars as they exited their trailers, amplifying the danger of the situation.

Prior to the attempted abduction, a fan had ominously warned the show, stating, “I am coming to set and I am going to bring a gun and I am going to murder some of the cast.”

Johnson vividly recalled, “So, I’m walking with my mom, and then I just remember some guy hops out of the line, and he grabs me, and grabs me up and starts booking it. And all I remember is there was security that somehow got on him after some time.”

She described the chaos as security intervened, saying, “Security came out, they wrestle him down, and I remember just flying around the air.”

In the midst of the turmoil, Johnson felt “clueless” but was distressed because she thought she would be in trouble since the kidnapper had taken one of her shoes.

“He ended up clearly going to jail,” she stated. “He had a gun.”

“And, you know, they got him, and they saved me,” she added, reflecting on the terrifying ordeal.

Johnson portrayed Chrissy Seaver on “Growing Pains” from 1990 to 1992. The incident occurred during her first year of filming when she was only 6 or 7 years old.

She joined the ABC sitcom in its fourth season as the youngest child of Dr. Jason Seaver (played by the late Alan Thicke) and his wife, Maggie (Joanna Kerns). Her on-screen siblings included Mike (Kirk Cameron), Carol (Tracey Gold), and Ben (Jeremy Miller).

The series aired for seven seasons from 1985 to 1992.

Apart from “Growing Pains,” Johnson is recognized for voicing Gretchen Grundler on “Recess” and Gwen Tennyson in the “Ben 10” franchise. She also starred in “Blindspot” and provided voice and motion capture for Ellie in “The Last of Us” video games.

Thicke passed away in December 2016 due to a heart attack. He was 69 years old.

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

Leonardo DiCaprio, who guest-starred in the show’s seventh season as Luke Brower, also paid his respects to Thicke at the memorial.