diff --git a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/oio/OioWorker.java b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/oio/OioWorker.java
index 0dda137b52..6893642d81 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/oio/OioWorker.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/oio/OioWorker.java
@@ -44,10 +44,12 @@ class OioWorker implements Runnable {
         channel.workerThread = Thread.currentThread();
         final PushbackInputStream in = channel.getInputStream();
 
-        for (;;) {
+        while (channel.isOpen()) {
             synchronized (this) {
                 while (!channel.isReadable()) {
                     try {
+                        // notify() is not called at all.
+                        // close() and setInterestOps() calls Thread.interrupt()
                         this.wait();
                     } catch (InterruptedException e) {
                         if (!channel.isOpen()) {
@@ -83,10 +85,17 @@ class OioWorker implements Runnable {
             if (readBytes == buf.length) {
                 buffer = ChannelBuffers.wrappedBuffer(buf);
             } else {
+                // A rare case, but it sometimes happen.
                 buffer = ChannelBuffers.wrappedBuffer(buf, 0, readBytes);
             }
             fireMessageReceived(channel, buffer);
         }
+
+        // Setting the workerThread to null will prevent any channel
+        // operations from interrupting this thread from now on.
+        channel.workerThread = null;
+
+        // Clean up.
         close(channel, channel.getSucceededFuture());
     }
 
@@ -122,7 +131,7 @@ class OioWorker implements Runnable {
 
             future.setSuccess();
             if (changed) {
-                // Notify the worker so it stops reading.
+                // Notify the worker so it stops or continues reading.
                 Thread currentThread = Thread.currentThread();
                 Thread workerThread = channel.workerThread;
                 if (workerThread != null && currentThread != workerThread) {
@@ -146,6 +155,13 @@ class OioWorker implements Runnable {
             future.setSuccess();
             if (channel.setClosed()) {
                 if (connected) {
+                    // Notify the worker so it stops reading.
+                    Thread currentThread = Thread.currentThread();
+                    Thread workerThread = channel.workerThread;
+                    if (workerThread != null && currentThread != workerThread) {
+                        workerThread.interrupt();
+                    }
+
                     if (channel.getInterestOps() != Channel.OP_WRITE) {
                         channel.setInterestOpsNow(Channel.OP_WRITE);
                         fireChannelInterestChanged(channel, Channel.OP_WRITE);