diff --git a/pkg/job-queue/JobRunner.php b/pkg/job-queue/JobRunner.php
index 17a51b110..afd445c67 100644
--- a/pkg/job-queue/JobRunner.php
+++ b/pkg/job-queue/JobRunner.php
@@ -51,7 +51,16 @@ public function runUnique($ownerId, $name, callable $runCallback)
         try {
             $result = call_user_func($runCallback, $jobRunner, $childJob);
         } catch (\Throwable $e) {
-            $this->jobProcessor->failChildJob($childJob);
+            try {
+                $this->jobProcessor->failChildJob($childJob);
+            } catch (\Throwable $t) {
+                throw new OrphanJobException(sprintf(
+                    'Job cleanup failed. ID: "%s" Name: "%s"',
+                    $childJob->getId(),
+                    $childJob->getName()
+                ), 0, $e);
+            }
+
             throw $e;
         }
 
diff --git a/pkg/job-queue/OrphanJobException.php b/pkg/job-queue/OrphanJobException.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..37eac5ca7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/job-queue/OrphanJobException.php
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Enqueue\JobQueue;
+
+class OrphanJobException extends \Exception
+{
+}
diff --git a/pkg/job-queue/Tests/JobRunnerTest.php b/pkg/job-queue/Tests/JobRunnerTest.php
index 608742491..07961b35f 100644
--- a/pkg/job-queue/Tests/JobRunnerTest.php
+++ b/pkg/job-queue/Tests/JobRunnerTest.php
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 use Enqueue\JobQueue\Job;
 use Enqueue\JobQueue\JobProcessor;
 use Enqueue\JobQueue\JobRunner;
+use Enqueue\JobQueue\OrphanJobException;
 
 class JobRunnerTest extends \PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase
 {
@@ -195,6 +196,39 @@ public function testRunUniqueShouldFailJobIfCallbackThrowsException()
         });
     }
 
+    public function testRunUniqueShouldThrowOrphanJobExceptionIfChildCleanupFails()
+    {
+        $root = new Job();
+        $child = new Job();
+
+        $jobProcessor = $this->createJobProcessorMock();
+        $jobProcessor
+            ->expects($this->once())
+            ->method('findOrCreateRootJob')
+            ->will($this->returnValue($root))
+        ;
+        $jobProcessor
+            ->expects($this->once())
+            ->method('findOrCreateChildJob')
+            ->will($this->returnValue($child))
+        ;
+        $jobProcessor
+            ->expects($this->never())
+            ->method('successChildJob')
+        ;
+        $jobProcessor
+            ->expects($this->once())
+            ->method('failChildJob')
+            ->willThrowException(new \Exception())
+        ;
+
+        $jobRunner = new JobRunner($jobProcessor);
+        $this->expectException(OrphanJobException::class);
+        $jobRunner->runUnique('owner-id', 'job-name', function () {
+            throw new \Exception();
+        });
+    }
+
     public function testRunUniqueShouldNotSuccessJobIfJobIsAlreadyStopped()
     {
         $root = new Job();