diff --git a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/variantcontext/VariantJEXLContext.java b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/variantcontext/VariantJEXLContext.java
index e25599812..913615a84 100644
--- a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/variantcontext/VariantJEXLContext.java
+++ b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/variantcontext/VariantJEXLContext.java
@@ -268,7 +268,12 @@ class JEXLMap implements Map<VariantContextUtils.JexlVCMatchExp, Boolean> {
             // treat errors as no match
             jexl.put(exp, value == null ? false : value);
         } catch (Exception e) {
-            throw new UserException.CommandLineException(String.format("Invalid JEXL expression detected for %s with message %s", exp.name, e.getMessage()));
+            // if exception happens because variable is undefined (i.e. field in expression is not present), evaluate to FALSE
+            // todo - might be safer if we explicitly checked for an exception type, but Apache's API doesn't seem to have that ability
+            if (e.getMessage().contains("undefined variable"))
+                jexl.put(exp,false);
+            else
+                throw new UserException.CommandLineException(String.format("Invalid JEXL expression detected for %s with message %s", exp.name, e.getMessage()));
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/public/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/variantutils/SelectVariantsIntegrationTest.java b/public/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/variantutils/SelectVariantsIntegrationTest.java
index 59eaa177d..e25d65465 100755
--- a/public/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/variantutils/SelectVariantsIntegrationTest.java
+++ b/public/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/variantutils/SelectVariantsIntegrationTest.java
@@ -70,6 +70,19 @@ public class SelectVariantsIntegrationTest extends WalkerTest {
         executeTest("testComplexSelection--" + testfile, spec);
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testNonExistingFieldSelection() {
+        String testfile = validationDataLocation + "test.filtered.maf_annotated.vcf";
+
+        WalkerTestSpec spec = new WalkerTestSpec(
+                baseTestString(" -env -ef -select 'foo!=0||DP>0' --variant " + testfile),
+                1,
+                Arrays.asList("44e77cea624cfff2b8acc3a4b30485cb")    // should yield empty vcf because the foo!=0 will yield complete expression false
+        );
+        spec.disableShadowBCF();
+        executeTest("testNonExistingSelection--" + testfile, spec);
+    }
+
     @Test
     public void testSampleExclusion() {
         String testfile = validationDataLocation + "test.filtered.maf_annotated.vcf";