Jessica Alba’s terrifying kidnapping story resurfaces and one detail makes it so much worse
NBC/NetflixJessica Alba is best known for her acting roles, her latest big title being Netflix’s Trigger Warning. However, the Hollywood star was involved in a harrowing kidnapping incident as a teenager, and there’s one detail that makes the case even more terrifying.
After her first acting gig at age 13, Alba went on to establish herself as one of the biggest movie stars in the ‘00s. From the high school mean girl in Never Been Kissed to her turn as Sue Storm in the original Fantastic Four movies, she’s portrayed a wide range of characters.
One of her most lauded projects is her collaboration with Robert Rodriguez, having appeared in Sin City, Spy Kids: All the Time in the World, and the Machete movies. Although acting took a backseat in later years, she made her big screen comeback in the 2024 movie, Trigger Warning.
But long before she became a household name, Alba experienced a terrifying ordeal that would stay with her for years. As a teenager, she was kidnapped, an incident that has been circulating on social media this week.
The Jessica Alba kidnapping case remains a mystery
In 1996, Jessica Alba was kidnapped while shooting scenes for Flipper. The then-15-year-old was later discovered bound, blindfolded, and gagged in the trunk of a car, but the culprit was never found. Nearly three decades later, the case remains unsolved.
Alba played the role of Maya in the first two seasons of the dolphin-themed TV show, having demonstrated her skills as a swimmer and scuba diver thanks to her lifeguard mom. But in the spring of 1996, the cast and crew were shooting scenes in Australia when Alba mysteriously vanished.
Her family and the production team embarked on a frantic search, which lasted for 14 hours, until she was discovered in the vehicle miles away from the set, reportedly unharmed. Although an investigation was launched, there were no leads or eyewitnesses to follow up on and the case was ultimately dropped.
According to reports at the time, Alba had been receiving disturbing phone calls in the leadup to the kidnapping, which some have theorized may be connected to the crime. But to this day, what really happened remains a mystery.
The case has sparked renewed interest after Creepy shared the details on X/Twitter, where it’s received hundreds of comments. “The fact she stuck it out in the industry, and became such a sexualized woman is wild,” said one.
“What a terrifying experience for her,” wrote another, while a third added, “That must be a scary moment! Kudos for Jessica to reach the heights she has.” A fourth chimed in, “It’s unsettling that such a high-profile case remains unsolved.”
Has Jessica Alba ever spoken about it?
Although Alba herself has never spoken publicly about the incident, she has opened up about her need to survive and the struggles she went through as a teenager to help build the life she wanted.
NetflixIn a 2022 conversation with Glamour UK, the actress – who founded the wellness and beauty brand The Honest Company in 2012 – discussed her upbringing, having been born in the outskirts of LA to deeply religious Catholic parents, Catherine and Mark Alba.
“I grew up in survival mode. It was almost sort of what I was born into. My parents didn’t have a safety net, they were living paycheck to paycheck. And so the mentality of ‘tomorrow’s not guaranteed’… For me, I was like, ‘I got to do everything I can to keep my head above water,’” she told the outlet.
“I think because no one had any expectations that I would be successful, how could you fail? I wasn’t set up – no one was like, ‘Oh my God, you’re going to be…’ They were just like, ‘Here’s your life.’ And I was like, ‘This is some bullsh*t. I want a better life than that. I don’t want to be in survival mode all the time.’”
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