diff --git a/modules/PatternUtils.js b/modules/PatternUtils.js
index acfc143dc6..551900f97d 100644
--- a/modules/PatternUtils.js
+++ b/modules/PatternUtils.js
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ export function compilePattern(pattern) {
  * - **             Consumes (greedy) all characters up to the next character
  *                  in the pattern, or to the end of the URL if there is none
  *
+ *  The function calls callback(error, matched) when finished.
  * The return value is an object with the following properties:
  *
  * - remainingPathname
diff --git a/modules/__tests__/Router-test.js b/modules/__tests__/Router-test.js
index 4563c23ee5..75e152ff2e 100644
--- a/modules/__tests__/Router-test.js
+++ b/modules/__tests__/Router-test.js
@@ -276,6 +276,19 @@ describe('Router', function () {
       })
     })
 
+    it('handles error that are not valid URI character', function (done) {
+      const errorSpy = expect.createSpy()
+
+      render((
+        <Router history={createHistory('/%')} onError={errorSpy}>
+          <Route path="*" />
+        </Router>
+      ), node, function () {
+        expect(errorSpy).toHaveBeenCalled()
+        done()
+      })
+    })
+
   })
 
   describe('render prop', function () {
diff --git a/modules/matchRoutes.js b/modules/matchRoutes.js
index 1f5df6648a..37bde417a2 100644
--- a/modules/matchRoutes.js
+++ b/modules/matchRoutes.js
@@ -88,13 +88,17 @@ function matchRouteDeep(
   // Only try to match the path if the route actually has a pattern, and if
   // we're not just searching for potential nested absolute paths.
   if (remainingPathname !== null && pattern) {
-    const matched = matchPattern(pattern, remainingPathname)
-    if (matched) {
-      remainingPathname = matched.remainingPathname
-      paramNames = [ ...paramNames, ...matched.paramNames ]
-      paramValues = [ ...paramValues, ...matched.paramValues ]
-    } else {
-      remainingPathname = null
+    try {
+      const matched = matchPattern(pattern, remainingPathname)
+      if (matched) {
+        remainingPathname = matched.remainingPathname
+        paramNames = [ ...paramNames, ...matched.paramNames ]
+        paramValues = [ ...paramValues, ...matched.paramValues ]
+      } else {
+        remainingPathname = null
+      }
+    } catch (error) {
+      callback(error)
     }
 
     // By assumption, pattern is non-empty here, which is the prerequisite for