diff --git a/src/js/node/test.ts b/src/js/node/test.ts
index 79c0eba91e9b..1e483375f26f 100644
--- a/src/js/node/test.ts
+++ b/src/js/node/test.ts
@@ -922,6 +922,9 @@ const fileGeneration = $newRustFunction("jest.rs", "jsFileGeneration", 0);
 // `done` binds the intended sequence so a late call after the bun:test watchdog
 // moved on cannot write onto the currently-running test.
 const markCurrentResult = $newRustFunction("jest.rs", "jsNodeTestMarkResult", 2);
+// Books a late subtest's parentAlreadyFinished failure into the reporter so the
+// run prints it and exits 1. bun:test has no entry to fail for a late subtest.
+const reportLateFailure = $newRustFunction("jest.rs", "jsNodeTestReportLateFailure", 2);
 
 let rootNode: TestNode | undefined;
 let rootGeneration = -1;
@@ -1629,6 +1632,56 @@ function recordSuiteFailure(suite: TestNode, err: unknown) {
   suite.firstSubtestError ??= err ?? makeTestFailure("suite failed");
 }
 
+function runLateSubtest(
+  parent: TestNode,
+  name: string,
+  options: TestOptions,
+  fn: TestFn,
+  mode: "skip" | "todo" | undefined,
+  isSuite: boolean,
+): Promise<undefined> {
+  // isExecutionPhase=true keeps isRunning() true without `started`, so a nested
+  // t.test() inside the body goes to scheduleSubtest instead of recursing here.
+  const child = new TestNode(name, parent, options, isSuite, true);
+  if (mode === "todo" || options.todo) child.todoFlag = true;
+  if (mode === "skip" || options.skip) child.skipped = true;
+  const failure = makeTestFailure("test could not be started because its parent finished");
+  (failure as { failureType?: string }).failureType = "parentAlreadyFinished";
+  child.error = failure;
+  // Node still counts a late skip/todo as skip/todo (exit 0); only a plain late
+  // subtest flips the run to failing.
+  if (!child.todoFlag && !child.skipped) {
+    reportLateFailure(child.fullName, failure);
+  }
+  // Node replaces a {skip:true} body with a noop, so a late skip's body never
+  // runs; a late todo's body does (Node runs todo bodies).
+  if (child.skipped) return Promise.resolve(undefined);
+  // Node runs the body and awaits it; its outcome is discarded in favour of the
+  // parentAlreadyFinished failure above, and the returned promise resolves. A
+  // no-op done keeps a `(t, done)` body from throwing on `done()`.
+  const ctx = isSuite ? child.getSuiteCtx() : child.getCtx();
+  let body: unknown;
+  try {
+    body = runWithNode(child, () =>
+      fn.length === 2 ? fn.$call(undefined, ctx, kDefaultFunction) : fn.$call(undefined, ctx),
+    );
+  } catch {}
+  // Mirror executeTestNode: drain nested subtests the body scheduled, then
+  // reset mocks so a late body's t.mock.method() does not leak into later
+  // tests (Node's postRun() does both).
+  const settle = () => {
+    child.finished = true;
+    try {
+      child.mockTracker?.reset();
+    } catch {}
+    return undefined;
+  };
+  return Promise.resolve(body)
+    .catch(kDefaultFunction)
+    .then(() => drainSubtestChain(child))
+    .then(settle, settle);
+}
+
 // Awaits a node's subtest chain, including links appended while waiting.
 async function drainSubtestChain(node: TestNode) {
   let chain;
@@ -1754,9 +1807,10 @@ function addTest(
   const runningNode = executionParent ?? currentNode();
   if (runningNode !== undefined) {
     if (runningNode.finished) {
-      // t.test() escaped its parent: Node fails the late subtest but resolves
-      // the promise; don't fall through to bun:test's internal-phase throw.
-      return Promise.resolve(undefined);
+      // t.test() escaped its parent: Node runs the body, fails the late subtest
+      // with parentAlreadyFinished (resolving the returned promise), and reports
+      // it at the root so the run exits 1.
+      return runLateSubtest(runningNode, name, options, fn, mode, false);
     }
     if (runningNode.isRunning()) {
       // Subtest of a running test (or of an inline suite created inside one).
@@ -1821,7 +1875,7 @@ function addSuite(
 
   const runningNode = executionParent ?? currentNode();
   if (runningNode !== undefined && runningNode.finished) {
-    return Promise.resolve(undefined);
+    return runLateSubtest(runningNode, name, options, fn, mode, true);
   }
   if (runningNode !== undefined && runningNode.isRunning()) {
     const suite = new TestNode(name, runningNode, options, true, true);
diff --git a/src/runtime/test_runner/jest.rs b/src/runtime/test_runner/jest.rs
index bc605d9ab39b..d96eb125db75 100644
--- a/src/runtime/test_runner/jest.rs
+++ b/src/runtime/test_runner/jest.rs
@@ -605,6 +605,65 @@ pub(crate) fn js_node_test_mark_result(
     Ok(JSValue::UNDEFINED)
 }
 
+/// Reached only from `node:test` when `t.test()` is called after its parent
+/// finished: Node fails the late subtest with `parentAlreadyFinished` and exits
+/// non-zero. bun:test has no entry for it, so book the failure here directly.
+pub(crate) fn js_node_test_report_late_failure(
+    global: &JSGlobalObject,
+    callframe: &CallFrame,
+) -> JsResult<JSValue> {
+    let [name, error] = callframe.arguments_as_array::<2>();
+    let name_slice = name.to_slice(global)?;
+    let Some(buntest_strong) = bun_test::clone_active_strong() else {
+        return Ok(JSValue::UNDEFINED);
+    };
+    let (rep, worker_idx) = {
+        // SAFETY: single-threaded JS VM; short-lived borrow for the
+        // reporter read and the on_before_print dot-break.
+        let buntest = unsafe { bun_test::buntest_as_mut(&buntest_strong) };
+        let Some(rep) = buntest.reporter else {
+            return Ok(JSValue::UNDEFINED);
+        };
+        buntest.bun_test_root.on_before_print();
+        // SAFETY: same reporter write-provenance invariant as below.
+        (rep, unsafe { (*rep.as_ptr()).worker_ipc_file_idx })
+    };
+    let mut line = Vec::<u8>::new();
+    crate::cli::test_command::write_test_status_line(super::execution::Result::Fail, &mut line);
+    let _ = writeln!(&mut line, " {}", bstr::BStr::new(name_slice.slice()));
+    if let Some(idx) = worker_idx {
+        crate::cli::test::parallel_runner::worker_emit_test_done(idx, &line);
+    } else {
+        let _ = Output::error_writer().write_all(&line);
+        Output::flush();
+    }
+    if !error.is_empty_or_undefined_or_null() {
+        global.bun_vm().as_mut().run_error_handler(error, None);
+        Output::flush();
+    }
+    // No JUnit entry: `maybe_print_junit_line` needs a bun:test sequence/entry
+    // that a late subtest doesn't have (same as `unhandled_errors_between_tests`).
+    // SAFETY: `BunTest.reporter` carries write provenance from `enter_file`'s
+    // `&mut`; single-threaded test runner, sole writer for this update.
+    let reporter: &mut CommandLineReporter = unsafe { &mut *rep.as_ptr() };
+    if !reporter.reporters.dots && !reporter.reporters.only_failures {
+        reporter.failures_to_repeat_buf.extend_from_slice(&line);
+    }
+    reporter.summary().fail += 1;
+    if reporter.summary().fail == reporter.jest.bail {
+        reporter.print_summary();
+        bun_core::pretty_error!(
+            "\nBailed out after {} failure{}<r>\n",
+            reporter.jest.bail,
+            if reporter.jest.bail == 1 { "" } else { "s" }
+        );
+        Output::flush();
+        reporter.write_junit_report_if_needed();
+        bun_core::Global::exit(1);
+    }
+    Ok(JSValue::UNDEFINED)
+}
+
 pub mod on_unhandled_rejection {
     use super::*;
 
diff --git a/test/js/node/test_runner/fixtures/16-plan-and-late-subtest.js b/test/js/node/test_runner/fixtures/16-plan-and-late-subtest.js
index 7548f769db44..a83f76a89684 100644
--- a/test/js/node/test_runner/fixtures/16-plan-and-late-subtest.js
+++ b/test/js/node/test_runner/fixtures/16-plan-and-late-subtest.js
@@ -22,7 +22,9 @@ test.describe("plan capture at first t.assert access", () => {
 
 // t.test() after the parent finished: Node fails the late subtest with
 // parentAlreadyFinished but resolves the returned promise (undefined); it must
-// not reject or fall through to bun:test's internal-phase throw.
+// not reject or fall through to bun:test's internal-phase throw. The late
+// subtest is also booked as a run failure; see fixture 25 for the exit-code
+// assertion. skip:true here keeps this fixture's own exit code at 0.
 test("late subtest after parent finished", async t => {
   let saved;
   await t.test("parent", pt => {
@@ -30,7 +32,7 @@ test("late subtest after parent finished", async t => {
   });
   let outcome;
   await saved
-    .test("late", () => {})
+    .test("late", { skip: true }, () => {})
     .then(
       v => (outcome = { resolved: true, value: v }),
       e => (outcome = { rejected: true, code: e?.code }),
diff --git a/test/js/node/test_runner/fixtures/25-late-subtest-failure.js b/test/js/node/test_runner/fixtures/25-late-subtest-failure.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..bcc02ec176db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/js/node/test_runner/fixtures/25-late-subtest-failure.js
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+const { test } = require("node:test");
+const assert = require("node:assert");
+
+// A t.test() that escapes its parent (the forgot-to-await shape): Node runs the
+// body, resolves the returned promise with undefined, and records the late
+// subtest as a parentAlreadyFinished failure so the run exits 1. Before the
+// fix, bun resolved the promise but dropped the failure and exited 0.
+let saved;
+let bodyRan = false;
+let doneBodyRan = false;
+let suiteBodyRan = false;
+let resolvedWith = "unset";
+
+test("parent", t => {
+  saved = t;
+});
+
+test("observer", async () => {
+  const result = await saved.test("late", () => {
+    bodyRan = true;
+  });
+  resolvedWith = result;
+  console.log("RESOLVED_WITH=" + String(resolvedWith));
+  console.log("BODY_RAN=" + String(bodyRan));
+  // A (t, done) body must receive a callable done so the body runs to completion.
+  await saved.test("late-done", (_t, done) => {
+    done();
+    doneBodyRan = true;
+  });
+  console.log("DONE_BODY_RAN=" + String(doneBodyRan));
+  // t.describe() after the parent finished takes the same path (isSuite=true).
+  await saved.describe("late-suite", () => {
+    suiteBodyRan = true;
+  });
+  console.log("SUITE_BODY_RAN=" + String(suiteBodyRan));
+  // A late skip/todo subtest is not counted as a failure (Node exits 0 for
+  // those); these must not add further fail entries to this run. Node replaces
+  // a {skip:true} body with a noop, so it must not run; a {todo:true} body does.
+  let skipBodyRan = false;
+  let todoBodyRan = false;
+  await saved.test("late-skip", { skip: true }, () => {
+    skipBodyRan = true;
+  });
+  await saved.test("late-todo", { todo: true }, () => {
+    todoBodyRan = true;
+  });
+  console.log("SKIP_BODY_RAN=" + String(skipBodyRan));
+  console.log("MARKED_BODY_RAN=" + String(todoBodyRan));
+});
+
+process.on("exit", () => {
+  assert.strictEqual(bodyRan, true, "late subtest body must run (Node runs it)");
+  assert.strictEqual(resolvedWith, undefined, "late subtest promise must resolve to undefined");
+});
diff --git a/test/js/node/test_runner/node-test.test.ts b/test/js/node/test_runner/node-test.test.ts
index 2b480dddb050..9df69911100b 100644
--- a/test/js/node/test_runner/node-test.test.ts
+++ b/test/js/node/test_runner/node-test.test.ts
@@ -249,6 +249,28 @@ describe("node:test", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  test("should fail the run when t.test() is called after its parent finished", async () => {
+    const { exitCode, stdout, stderr } = await runTests(["25-late-subtest-failure.js"]);
+    expect(stdout).toContain("RESOLVED_WITH=undefined");
+    expect(stdout).toContain("BODY_RAN=true");
+    expect(stdout).toContain("DONE_BODY_RAN=true");
+    expect(stdout).toContain("SUITE_BODY_RAN=true");
+    expect(stdout).toContain("SKIP_BODY_RAN=false");
+    expect(stdout).toContain("MARKED_BODY_RAN=true");
+    expect(stderr).toContain("parent > late\n");
+    expect(stderr).toContain("parent > late-done\n");
+    expect(stderr).toContain("parent > late-suite\n");
+    expect(stderr).toContain("test could not be started because its parent finished");
+    // Only the plain late subtests fail; the late skip/todo ones do not.
+    expect(stderr).not.toContain("parent > late-skip");
+    expect(stderr).not.toContain("parent > late-todo");
+    expect(stderr).toContain("2 pass");
+    expect({ exitCode, stderr }).toMatchObject({
+      exitCode: 1,
+      stderr: expect.stringContaining("3 fail"),
+    });
+  });
+
   test("should resolve the promise of a test that a name pattern filters out", async () => {
     const { exitCode, stderr } = await runTests(["23-filtered-test-promise.js"], {}, ["-t", "should resolve"]);
     expect(stderr).not.toContain("timed out");