diff --git a/src/ajax.js b/src/ajax.js
index 502f00653..552d412f4 100644
--- a/src/ajax.js
+++ b/src/ajax.js
@@ -591,23 +591,7 @@ jQuery.extend({
 		if ( typeof data === "string" ) {
 			// Get the JavaScript object, if JSON is used.
 			if ( type === "json" || !type && ct.indexOf("json") >= 0 ) {
-				// Make sure the incoming data is actual JSON
-				// Logic borrowed from http://json.org/json2.js
-				if (/^[\],:{}\s]*$/.test(data.replace(/\\(?:["\\\/bfnrt]|u[0-9a-fA-F]{4})/g, "@")
-					.replace(/"[^"\\\n\r]*"|true|false|null|-?\d+(?:\.\d*)?(?:[eE][+\-]?\d+)?/g, "]")
-					.replace(/(?:^|:|,)(?:\s*\[)+/g, ""))) {
-
-					// Try to use the native JSON parser first
-					if ( window.JSON && window.JSON.parse ) {
-						data = window.JSON.parse( data );
-
-					} else {
-						data = (new Function("return " + data))();
-					}
-
-				} else {
-					jQuery.error( "Invalid JSON: " + data );
-				}
+				data = jQuery.parseJSON( data );
 
 			// If the type is "script", eval it in global context
 			} else if ( type === "script" || !type && ct.indexOf("javascript") >= 0 ) {
diff --git a/src/core.js b/src/core.js
index 3ff95e020..5c9906888 100644
--- a/src/core.js
+++ b/src/core.js
@@ -470,6 +470,28 @@ jQuery.extend({
 	error: function( msg ) {
 		throw msg;
 	},
+	
+	parseJSON: function( data ) {
+		// Make sure the incoming data is actual JSON
+		// Logic borrowed from http://json.org/json2.js
+		if (/^[\],:{}\s]*$/.test(data.replace(/\\(?:["\\\/bfnrt]|u[0-9a-fA-F]{4})/g, "@")
+			.replace(/"[^"\\\n\r]*"|true|false|null|-?\d+(?:\.\d*)?(?:[eE][+\-]?\d+)?/g, "]")
+			.replace(/(?:^|:|,)(?:\s*\[)+/g, ""))) {
+
+			// Try to use the native JSON parser first
+			if ( window.JSON && window.JSON.parse ) {
+				data = window.JSON.parse( data );
+
+			} else {
+				data = (new Function("return " + data))();
+			}
+
+		} else {
+			jQuery.error( "Invalid JSON: " + data );
+		}
+		
+		return data;	
+	},
 
 	noop: function() {},