diff --git a/lucene/CHANGES.txt b/lucene/CHANGES.txt
index d33f857320f..6f668c9e72b 100644
--- a/lucene/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/lucene/CHANGES.txt
@@ -103,6 +103,9 @@ Bug Fixes
   to a new reader and closing the original one.  (Shai Erera, Mike
   McCandless)
 
+* LUCENE-5262: Fixed file handle leaks when multiple attempts to open an 
+  NRT reader hit exceptions. (Shai Erera)
+
 API Changes:
 
 * LUCENE-5222: Add SortField.needsScores(). Previously it was not possible
diff --git a/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/ReadersAndLiveDocs.java b/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/ReadersAndLiveDocs.java
index 4f01df42aac..f3c8a7e4348 100644
--- a/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/ReadersAndLiveDocs.java
+++ b/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/ReadersAndLiveDocs.java
@@ -264,9 +264,8 @@ class ReadersAndLiveDocs { // TODO (DVU_RENAME) to ReaderAndUpdates
   }
 
   /**
-   * Returns a ref to a clone.  NOTE: this clone is not
-   * enrolled in the pool, so you should simply close()
-   * it when you're done (ie, do not call release()).
+   * Returns a ref to a clone. NOTE: you should decRef() the reader when you're
+   * dont (ie do not call close()).
    */
   public synchronized SegmentReader getReadOnlyClone(IOContext context) throws IOException {
     getReader(true, context).decRef(); // make sure we enroll a new reader if there are field updates
diff --git a/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/StandardDirectoryReader.java b/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/StandardDirectoryReader.java
index 710a49cc5b0..c187649071a 100644
--- a/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/StandardDirectoryReader.java
+++ b/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/StandardDirectoryReader.java
@@ -82,10 +82,9 @@ final class StandardDirectoryReader extends DirectoryReader {
 
     final SegmentInfos segmentInfos = infos.clone();
     int infosUpto = 0;
-    for (int i=0;i<numSegments;i++) {
-      IOException prior = null;
-      boolean success = false;
-      try {
+    boolean success = false;
+    try {
+      for (int i = 0; i < numSegments; i++) {
         // NOTE: important that we use infos not
         // segmentInfos here, so that we are passing the
         // actual instance of SegmentInfoPerCommit in
@@ -106,17 +105,24 @@ final class StandardDirectoryReader extends DirectoryReader {
         } finally {
           writer.readerPool.release(rld);
         }
-        success = true;
-      } catch(IOException ex) {
-        prior = ex;
-      } finally {
-        if (!success) {
-          IOUtils.closeWhileHandlingException(prior, readers);
+      }
+      StandardDirectoryReader result = new StandardDirectoryReader(dir,
+          readers.toArray(new SegmentReader[readers.size()]), writer,
+          segmentInfos, applyAllDeletes);
+      success = true;
+      return result;
+    } finally {
+      if (!success) {
+        for (SegmentReader r : readers) {
+          try {
+            r.decRef();
+          } catch (Throwable th) {
+            // ignore any exception that is thrown here to not mask any original
+            // exception. 
+          }
         }
       }
     }
-    return new StandardDirectoryReader(dir, readers.toArray(new SegmentReader[readers.size()]),
-      writer, segmentInfos, applyAllDeletes);
   }
 
   /** This constructor is only used for {@link #doOpenIfChanged(SegmentInfos)} */
diff --git a/lucene/core/src/test/org/apache/lucene/index/TestIndexWriterReader.java b/lucene/core/src/test/org/apache/lucene/index/TestIndexWriterReader.java
index 64841cde215..7fcdeee7a50 100644
--- a/lucene/core/src/test/org/apache/lucene/index/TestIndexWriterReader.java
+++ b/lucene/core/src/test/org/apache/lucene/index/TestIndexWriterReader.java
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger;
 import org.apache.lucene.analysis.MockAnalyzer;
 import org.apache.lucene.document.Document;
 import org.apache.lucene.document.Field;
-import org.apache.lucene.document.TextField;
 import org.apache.lucene.search.DocIdSetIterator;
 import org.apache.lucene.search.IndexSearcher;
 import org.apache.lucene.search.Query;
@@ -43,6 +42,7 @@ import org.apache.lucene.util.InfoStream;
 import org.apache.lucene.util.LuceneTestCase;
 import org.apache.lucene.util.ThreadInterruptedException;
 import org.apache.lucene.util._TestUtil;
+import org.junit.Test;
 
 public class TestIndexWriterReader extends LuceneTestCase {
   
@@ -1041,4 +1041,64 @@ public class TestIndexWriterReader extends LuceneTestCase {
     w.close();
     d.close();
   }
+  
+  private static final class FakeIOException extends IOException {
+    public FakeIOException() {}
+  }
+  
+  @Test
+  public void testNRTOpenExceptions() throws Exception {
+    // LUCENE-5262: test that several failed attempts to obtain an NRT reader
+    // don't leak file handles.
+    MockDirectoryWrapper dir = newMockDirectory();
+    final AtomicBoolean shouldFail = new AtomicBoolean();
+    dir.failOn(new MockDirectoryWrapper.Failure() {
+      @Override
+      public void eval(MockDirectoryWrapper dir) throws IOException {
+        StackTraceElement[] trace = new Exception().getStackTrace();
+        if (shouldFail.get()) {
+          for (int i = 0; i < trace.length; i++) {
+            if ("getReadOnlyClone".equals(trace[i].getMethodName())) {
+              if (VERBOSE) {
+                System.out.println("TEST: now fail; exc:");
+                new Throwable().printStackTrace(System.out);
+              }
+              shouldFail.set(false);
+              throw new FakeIOException();
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    });
+    
+    IndexWriterConfig conf = newIndexWriterConfig(TEST_VERSION_CURRENT, new MockAnalyzer(random()));
+    conf.setMergePolicy(NoMergePolicy.COMPOUND_FILES); // prevent merges from getting in the way
+    IndexWriter writer = new IndexWriter(dir, conf);
+    
+    // create a segment and open an NRT reader
+    writer.addDocument(new Document());
+    writer.getReader().close();
+    
+    // add a new document so a new NRT reader is required
+    writer.addDocument(new Document());
+
+    // try to obtain an NRT reader twice: first time it fails and closes all the
+    // other NRT readers. second time it fails, but also fails to close the
+    // other NRT reader, since it is already marked closed!
+    for (int i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
+      shouldFail.set(true);
+      try {
+        writer.getReader().close();
+      } catch (FakeIOException e) {
+        // expected
+        if (VERBOSE) {
+          System.out.println("hit expected fake IOE");
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    
+    writer.close();
+    dir.close();
+  }
+
 }