diff --git a/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/AvoidCatchingThrowableRule.java b/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/AvoidCatchingThrowableRule.java
index 168c159924..56a4a51049 100644
--- a/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/AvoidCatchingThrowableRule.java
+++ b/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/AvoidCatchingThrowableRule.java
@@ -5,8 +5,6 @@
 package net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone;
 
 import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.ast.ASTCatchStatement;
-import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.ast.ASTClassOrInterfaceType;
-import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.ast.ASTType;
 import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.AbstractJavaRule;
 
 /**
@@ -18,12 +16,12 @@ import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.AbstractJavaRule;
 public class AvoidCatchingThrowableRule extends AbstractJavaRule {
 
     @Override
-    public Object visit(ASTCatchStatement node, Object data) {
-        ASTType type = node.getFirstDescendantOfType(ASTType.class);
-        ASTClassOrInterfaceType name = type.getFirstDescendantOfType(ASTClassOrInterfaceType.class);
-        if (name.hasImageEqualTo("Throwable")) {
-            addViolation(data, name);
+    public Object visit(ASTCatchStatement catchStatement, Object data) {
+        for (Class<? extends Exception> caughtException : catchStatement.getCaughtExceptionTypes()) {
+            if (Throwable.class.equals(caughtException)) {
+                addViolation(data, catchStatement);
+            }
         }
-        return super.visit(node, data);
+        return super.visit(catchStatement, data);
     }
 }
diff --git a/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/xml/AvoidCatchingThrowable.xml b/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/xml/AvoidCatchingThrowable.xml
index 2e9dd79627..a64289f0f4 100644
--- a/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/xml/AvoidCatchingThrowable.xml
+++ b/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/xml/AvoidCatchingThrowable.xml
@@ -24,6 +24,23 @@ public class Foo {
     void foo() {
         try {} catch (RuntimeException t) {}
     }
+}
+        ]]></code>
+    </test-code>
+
+    <test-code>
+        <description>full class name false-negative test</description>
+        <expected-problems>1</expected-problems>
+        <expected-linenumbers>5</expected-linenumbers>
+        <code><![CDATA[
+public class Foo {
+    public void bar() {
+        try {
+            Foo.class.isAssignableFrom(null);
+        } catch(java.lang.Throwable e) {
+            e.printStackTrace();
+        }
+    }
 }
         ]]></code>
     </test-code>