diff --git a/spec/v1/providers/database.spec.ts b/spec/v1/providers/database.spec.ts
index 18d973b1d..c189ca4eb 100644
--- a/spec/v1/providers/database.spec.ts
+++ b/spec/v1/providers/database.spec.ts
@@ -494,20 +494,31 @@ describe("DataSnapshot", () => {
     it("should deal with null-values appropriately", () => {
       populate(null);
       expect(subject.val()).to.be.null;
+      expect(subject.child("a").val()).to.be.null;
+      expect(subject.child("a/b").val()).to.be.null;
 
       populate({ myKey: null });
       expect(subject.val()).to.be.null;
+      expect(subject.child("myKey").val()).to.be.null;
+      expect(subject.child("myKey/a").val()).to.be.null;
+      expect(subject.child("myKey/a/b").val()).to.be.null;
+      expect(subject.child("a").val()).to.be.null;
+      expect(subject.child("a/b").val()).to.be.null;
     });
 
     it("should deal with empty object values appropriately", () => {
       populate({});
       expect(subject.val()).to.be.null;
+      expect(subject.child("a").val()).to.be.null;
 
       populate({ myKey: {} });
       expect(subject.val()).to.be.null;
+      expect(subject.child("myKey").val()).to.be.null;
 
       populate({ myKey: { child: null } });
       expect(subject.val()).to.be.null;
+      expect(subject.child("myKey").val()).to.be.null;
+      expect(subject.child("myKey/child").val()).to.be.null;
     });
 
     it("should deal with empty array values appropriately", () => {
diff --git a/src/common/providers/database.ts b/src/common/providers/database.ts
index d73bb5503..7fd4da89b 100644
--- a/src/common/providers/database.ts
+++ b/src/common/providers/database.ts
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ export class DataSnapshot implements database.DataSnapshot {
     let source = this._data;
     if (parts.length) {
       for (const part of parts) {
-        if (source[part] === undefined) {
+        if (typeof source === "undefined" || source === null) {
           return null;
         }
         source = source[part];