diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/GC.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/GC.java
index 2e8da8fc9..a3e9430b1 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/GC.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/GC.java
@@ -430,9 +430,14 @@ public void prune(Set<ObjectId> objectsToKeep) throws IOException,
 			return;
 
 		// delete all candidates which have survived: these are unreferenced
-		// loose objects
-		for (File f : deletionCandidates.values())
-			f.delete();
+		// loose objects. Make a last check, though, to avoid deleting objects
+		// that could have been referenced while the candidates list was being
+		// built (by an incoming push, for example).
+		for (File f : deletionCandidates.values()) {
+			if (f.lastModified() < expireDate) {
+				f.delete();
+			}
+		}
 
 		repo.getObjectDatabase().close();
 	}