UPDATE: After praising her online, Mariska Hargitay met Alyssa Bonal, the 11-year-old Law & Order: SVU fan who fought off an attacker and used slime to help police identify him.
"I'm so incredibly honored to meet you," the actress told Alyssa during a video chat on NBC's Today May 21. "First of all, how are you doing, and are you OK?"
Alyssa replied, "I'm good." She later told the actress, "I never thought in my whole, entire life that I was going to be able to even meet you."
Admittedly "blown away" by Alyssa's heroic actions, Mariska is sending the teen aa signed SVU script: "You're amazing, sweetheart, you're amazing. And strong and brave and what's most important to everyone, is that you're OK."
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Mariska Hargitay just praised the young girl who helped the authorities catch her attempted kidnapper, all with the help of NBC's Law & Order: SVU.
Earlier this week, 11-year-old Florida resident Alyssa was mixing slime and blue paint while waiting at a bus stop when a man driving a white van pulled up and got out of the car. He came towards Alyssa with a knife and attempted to drag her back to the van, however, Alyssa was able to fight him off. Before she did, however, she made sure to wipe the blue paint onto his arm—a trick she learned from Mariska's series Law & Order: SVU. Alyssa told Today of the quick decision, "I knew that that might be better evidence if the cops do find him."
Amazingly, it worked exactly as Alyssa intended.
"The victim at the time of the attempted abduction was playing with blue slime," Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said at a news conference on May 19. "The suspect, when we caught him, had blue slime all over his own arms."
Mariska, who recently reunited with her old SVU co-star Christopher Meloni on his new spin-off Law and Order: Organized Crime, took to Instagram to praise Alyssa's bravery.
"Alyssa, first and most important, I am so relieved and grateful to know that you are safe," she began her post. "And I am so honored to be part of your incredible story. You are one BRAVE, Strong and Smart young woman. I think the SVU squad might have to add slime to their crimefighting gear!"
She concluded the post with, "Take good care of yourself and each other. With all my love, your number one fan, Mariska."
Mariska's followers applauded Alyssa in the comments section. Gossip Girl actress Michelle Tratchenberg wrote, "This is so amazing!!" Younger's Debi Mazar added, "Amazing!!!!!" Hilary Swank showed support with a series of praising emojis.
The SVU star's post comes just one day after she posted about a scary situation of her own. On May 19, she shared an Instagram pic revealing a brace on her knee and boot on the other foot.
"#ThatFeelingWhen, you go to the doctor, get an MRI and find out that you have a broken knee, a hairline fracture in your ankle, and a torn ligament," she wrote at the time. "It's always a good idea to go to the doctor. Immediately."
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
(Originally published on Thursday, May 20, at 3:18 p.m. PT)