diff --git a/src/api/environment.cc b/src/api/environment.cc
index 857506013fab8c..e5d4b27e67c8b6 100644
--- a/src/api/environment.cc
+++ b/src/api/environment.cc
@@ -725,7 +725,8 @@ ThreadId AllocateEnvironmentThreadId() {
 }
 
 void DefaultProcessExitHandler(Environment* env, int exit_code) {
-  Stop(env);
+  env->set_can_call_into_js(false);
+  env->stop_sub_worker_contexts();
   DisposePlatform();
   exit(exit_code);
 }
diff --git a/src/env.cc b/src/env.cc
index 0b2103e6e4aef8..bee70ae58e22f6 100644
--- a/src/env.cc
+++ b/src/env.cc
@@ -528,10 +528,9 @@ void Environment::InitializeLibuv(bool start_profiler_idle_notifier) {
   }
 }
 
-void Environment::Stop() {
+void Environment::ExitEnv() {
   set_can_call_into_js(false);
   set_stopping(true);
-  stop_sub_worker_contexts();
   isolate_->TerminateExecution();
   SetImmediateThreadsafe([](Environment* env) { uv_stop(env->event_loop()); });
 }
@@ -1015,6 +1014,8 @@ void Environment::Exit(int exit_code) {
 }
 
 void Environment::stop_sub_worker_contexts() {
+  DCHECK_EQ(Isolate::GetCurrent(), isolate());
+
   while (!sub_worker_contexts_.empty()) {
     Worker* w = *sub_worker_contexts_.begin();
     remove_sub_worker_context(w);
diff --git a/src/env.h b/src/env.h
index 61e222f02e9f2e..b3bc553cc75f1e 100644
--- a/src/env.h
+++ b/src/env.h
@@ -899,7 +899,7 @@ class Environment : public MemoryRetainer {
   void RegisterHandleCleanups();
   void CleanupHandles();
   void Exit(int code);
-  void Stop();
+  void ExitEnv();
 
   // Register clean-up cb to be called on environment destruction.
   inline void RegisterHandleCleanup(uv_handle_t* handle,
diff --git a/src/node.cc b/src/node.cc
index 302b277493c178..9e0e2464a02f4d 100644
--- a/src/node.cc
+++ b/src/node.cc
@@ -1059,7 +1059,7 @@ int Start(int argc, char** argv) {
 }
 
 int Stop(Environment* env) {
-  env->Stop();
+  env->ExitEnv();
   return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/node.h b/src/node.h
index afa2859b5b9c7f..4278eedfcbe09e 100644
--- a/src/node.h
+++ b/src/node.h
@@ -224,8 +224,7 @@ class Environment;
 NODE_EXTERN int Start(int argc, char* argv[]);
 
 // Tear down Node.js while it is running (there are active handles
-// in the loop and / or actively executing JavaScript code). This also stops
-// all Workers that may have been started earlier.
+// in the loop and / or actively executing JavaScript code).
 NODE_EXTERN int Stop(Environment* env);
 
 // TODO(addaleax): Officially deprecate this and replace it with something
@@ -479,8 +478,8 @@ NODE_EXTERN void FreeEnvironment(Environment* env);
 // It receives the Environment* instance and the exit code as arguments.
 // This could e.g. call Stop(env); in order to terminate execution and stop
 // the event loop.
-// The default handler calls Stop(), disposes of the global V8 platform
-// instance, if one is being used, and calls exit().
+// The default handler disposes of the global V8 platform instance, if one is
+// being used, and calls exit().
 NODE_EXTERN void SetProcessExitHandler(
     Environment* env,
     std::function<void(Environment*, int)>&& handler);
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-worker-terminate-nested.js b/test/parallel/test-worker-terminate-nested.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..3924528cea1ccb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parallel/test-worker-terminate-nested.js
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+'use strict';
+const common = require('../common');
+const { Worker } = require('worker_threads');
+
+// Check that a Worker that's running another Worker can be terminated.
+
+const worker = new Worker(`
+const { Worker, parentPort } = require('worker_threads');
+const worker = new Worker('setInterval(() => {}, 10);', { eval: true });
+worker.on('online', () => {
+  parentPort.postMessage({});
+});
+`, { eval: true });
+
+worker.on('message', common.mustCall(() => worker.terminate()));