diff --git a/google-cloud-storage/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/storage/GapicUnbufferedReadableByteChannel.java b/google-cloud-storage/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/storage/GapicUnbufferedReadableByteChannel.java
index 8f33b1e5ca..ce41620d33 100644
--- a/google-cloud-storage/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/storage/GapicUnbufferedReadableByteChannel.java
+++ b/google-cloud-storage/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/storage/GapicUnbufferedReadableByteChannel.java
@@ -163,41 +163,42 @@ public long read(ByteBuffer[] dsts, int offset, int length) throws IOException {
       readObjectObserver.request();
 
       ReadObjectResponse resp = (ReadObjectResponse) take;
-      ResponseContentLifecycleHandle<ReadObjectResponse> handle =
-          read.getResponseContentLifecycleManager().get(resp);
-      ReadObjectResponseChildRef ref = ReadObjectResponseChildRef.from(handle);
-      if (resp.hasMetadata()) {
-        Object respMetadata = resp.getMetadata();
-        if (metadata == null) {
-          metadata = respMetadata;
-        } else if (metadata.getGeneration() != respMetadata.getGeneration()) {
-          throw closeWithError(
-              String.format(
-                  Locale.US,
-                  "Mismatch Generation between subsequent reads. Expected %d but received %d",
-                  metadata.getGeneration(),
-                  respMetadata.getGeneration()));
+      try (ResponseContentLifecycleHandle<ReadObjectResponse> handle =
+          read.getResponseContentLifecycleManager().get(resp)) {
+        ReadObjectResponseChildRef ref = ReadObjectResponseChildRef.from(handle);
+        if (resp.hasMetadata()) {
+          Object respMetadata = resp.getMetadata();
+          if (metadata == null) {
+            metadata = respMetadata;
+          } else if (metadata.getGeneration() != respMetadata.getGeneration()) {
+            throw closeWithError(
+                String.format(
+                    Locale.US,
+                    "Mismatch Generation between subsequent reads. Expected %d but received %d",
+                    metadata.getGeneration(),
+                    respMetadata.getGeneration()));
+          }
         }
-      }
-      ChecksummedData checksummedData = resp.getChecksummedData();
-      ByteString content = checksummedData.getContent();
-      int contentSize = content.size();
-      // Very important to know whether a crc32c value is set. Without checking, protobuf will
-      // happily return 0, which is a valid crc32c value.
-      if (checksummedData.hasCrc32C()) {
-        Crc32cLengthKnown expected = Crc32cValue.of(checksummedData.getCrc32C(), contentSize);
-        try {
-          hasher.validate(expected, content);
-        } catch (IOException e) {
-          close();
-          throw e;
+        ChecksummedData checksummedData = resp.getChecksummedData();
+        ByteString content = checksummedData.getContent();
+        int contentSize = content.size();
+        // Very important to know whether a crc32c value is set. Without checking, protobuf will
+        // happily return 0, which is a valid crc32c value.
+        if (checksummedData.hasCrc32C()) {
+          Crc32cLengthKnown expected = Crc32cValue.of(checksummedData.getCrc32C(), contentSize);
+          try {
+            hasher.validate(expected, content);
+          } catch (IOException e) {
+            close();
+            throw e;
+          }
+        }
+        ref.copy(c, dsts, offset, length);
+        if (ref.hasRemaining()) {
+          leftovers = ref;
+        } else {
+          ref.close();
         }
-      }
-      ref.copy(c, dsts, offset, length);
-      if (ref.hasRemaining()) {
-        leftovers = ref;
-      } else {
-        ref.close();
       }
     }
     long read = c.read();
diff --git a/google-cloud-storage/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/storage/GapicUnbufferedReadableByteChannelTest.java b/google-cloud-storage/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/storage/GapicUnbufferedReadableByteChannelTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f74b21fb28
--- /dev/null
+++ b/google-cloud-storage/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/storage/GapicUnbufferedReadableByteChannelTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2025 Google LLC
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *       http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package com.google.cloud.storage;
+
+import static com.google.cloud.storage.TestUtils.xxd;
+import static com.google.common.truth.Truth.assertThat;
+
+import com.google.api.core.SettableApiFuture;
+import com.google.api.gax.rpc.ApiCallContext;
+import com.google.api.gax.rpc.ResponseObserver;
+import com.google.api.gax.rpc.ServerStreamingCallable;
+import com.google.api.gax.rpc.StreamController;
+import com.google.cloud.storage.GrpcUtils.ZeroCopyServerStreamingCallable;
+import com.google.cloud.storage.Retrying.Retrier;
+import com.google.cloud.storage.it.ChecksummedTestContent;
+import com.google.storage.v2.ReadObjectRequest;
+import com.google.storage.v2.ReadObjectResponse;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+public final class GapicUnbufferedReadableByteChannelTest {
+
+  @Test
+  public void ensureResponseAreClosed() throws IOException {
+    ChecksummedTestContent testContent =
+        ChecksummedTestContent.of(DataGenerator.base64Characters().genBytes(10));
+
+    AtomicBoolean close = new AtomicBoolean(false);
+
+    ResponseContentLifecycleManager<ReadObjectResponse> manager =
+        resp -> ResponseContentLifecycleHandle.create(resp, () -> close.compareAndSet(false, true));
+
+    try (GapicUnbufferedReadableByteChannel c =
+        new GapicUnbufferedReadableByteChannel(
+            SettableApiFuture.create(),
+            new ZeroCopyServerStreamingCallable<>(
+                new ServerStreamingCallable<ReadObjectRequest, ReadObjectResponse>() {
+                  @Override
+                  public void call(
+                      ReadObjectRequest request,
+                      ResponseObserver<ReadObjectResponse> respond,
+                      ApiCallContext context) {
+                    respond.onStart(new NullStreamController());
+                    respond.onResponse(
+                        ReadObjectResponse.newBuilder()
+                            .setChecksummedData(testContent.asChecksummedData())
+                            .build());
+                    respond.onComplete();
+                  }
+                },
+                manager),
+            ReadObjectRequest.getDefaultInstance(),
+            Hasher.noop(),
+            Retrier.attemptOnce(),
+            Retrying.neverRetry())) {
+
+      ByteBuffer buffer = ByteBuffer.allocate(15);
+      c.read(buffer);
+      assertThat(xxd(buffer)).isEqualTo(xxd(testContent.getBytes()));
+      assertThat(close.get()).isTrue();
+    }
+  }
+
+  private static class NullStreamController implements StreamController {
+
+    @Override
+    public void cancel() {}
+
+    @Override
+    public void disableAutoInboundFlowControl() {}
+
+    @Override
+    public void request(int count) {}
+  }
+}