diff --git a/json/src/main/java/org/eclipse/ditto/json/ImmutableJsonObjectBuilder.java b/json/src/main/java/org/eclipse/ditto/json/ImmutableJsonObjectBuilder.java
index 4a9565e2f6..11c0c47fc0 100644
--- a/json/src/main/java/org/eclipse/ditto/json/ImmutableJsonObjectBuilder.java
+++ b/json/src/main/java/org/eclipse/ditto/json/ImmutableJsonObjectBuilder.java
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ private ImmutableJsonObjectBuilder remove(final JsonPointer pointer) {
                         rootObject = rootObject.remove(nextPointerLevel);
                         set(JsonFactory.newField(jsonField.getKey(), rootObject,
                                 jsonField.getDefinition().orElse(null)));
-                    } else {
+                    } else if (nextPointerLevel.isEmpty()) {
                         fields.remove(jsonField.getKeyName());
                     }
                 });
diff --git a/json/src/test/java/org/eclipse/ditto/json/ImmutableJsonObjectBuilderTest.java b/json/src/test/java/org/eclipse/ditto/json/ImmutableJsonObjectBuilderTest.java
index 731070c4f4..b79ea6439f 100644
--- a/json/src/test/java/org/eclipse/ditto/json/ImmutableJsonObjectBuilderTest.java
+++ b/json/src/test/java/org/eclipse/ditto/json/ImmutableJsonObjectBuilderTest.java
@@ -289,6 +289,7 @@ public void removeWithJsonPointerWorksAsExpected() {
                 .set(robert)
                 .set(cersei)
                 .remove(JsonFactory.newPointer(fooKey, bazKey))
+                .remove(JsonFactory.newPointer(robert.getKey(), JsonKey.of("non-existing")))
                 .build();
 
         assertThat(actualJsonObject).isEqualTo(expectedJsonObject);
diff --git a/things/service/src/main/java/org/eclipse/ditto/things/service/persistence/serializer/ThingMongoEventAdapter.java b/things/service/src/main/java/org/eclipse/ditto/things/service/persistence/serializer/ThingMongoEventAdapter.java
index a44d911e70..f5e269505f 100644
--- a/things/service/src/main/java/org/eclipse/ditto/things/service/persistence/serializer/ThingMongoEventAdapter.java
+++ b/things/service/src/main/java/org/eclipse/ditto/things/service/persistence/serializer/ThingMongoEventAdapter.java
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
  */
 package org.eclipse.ditto.things.service.persistence.serializer;
 
+import org.apache.pekko.actor.ExtendedActorSystem;
 import org.eclipse.ditto.base.model.signals.events.Event;
 import org.eclipse.ditto.base.model.signals.events.GlobalEventRegistry;
 import org.eclipse.ditto.base.service.config.DittoServiceConfig;
@@ -25,8 +26,6 @@
 import org.eclipse.ditto.things.model.signals.events.ThingMerged;
 import org.eclipse.ditto.things.service.common.config.DefaultThingConfig;
 
-import org.apache.pekko.actor.ExtendedActorSystem;
-
 /**
  * EventAdapter for {@link Event}s persisted into pekko-persistence event-journal. Converts Event to MongoDB
  * BSON objects and vice versa.
@@ -48,7 +47,7 @@ public ThingMongoEventAdapter(final ExtendedActorSystem system) {
 
     @Override
     protected JsonObjectBuilder performToJournalMigration(final Event<?> event, final JsonObject jsonObject) {
-        if (event instanceof ThingMerged) {
+        if (event instanceof ThingMerged thingMerged && thingMerged.getResourcePath().isEmpty()) {
             return super.performToJournalMigration(event, jsonObject)
                     .remove(POLICY_IN_THING_MERGED_VALUE_PAYLOAD); // remove the policy entries from thing merged payload
         } else {