diff --git a/js/input/DownUpListener.js b/js/input/DownUpListener.js
index 62e26aebc..589614e74 100644
--- a/js/input/DownUpListener.js
+++ b/js/input/DownUpListener.js
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ define( function( require ) {
   var scenery = require( 'SCENERY/scenery' );
   require( 'SCENERY/util/Trail' );
   var Input = require( 'SCENERY/input/Input' );
+  var Trail = require( 'SCENERY/util/Trail' );
 
   /*
    * The 'trail' parameter passed to down/upInside/upOutside will end with the node to which this DownUpListener has been added.
@@ -45,6 +46,7 @@ define( function( require ) {
     this.downCurrentTarget = null; // 'up' is handled via a pointer lister, which will have null currentTarget, so save the 'down' currentTarget
     this.downTrail = null;
     this.pointer = null;
+    this.interrupted = false;
 
     // this listener gets added to the pointer on a 'down'
     this.downListener = {
@@ -109,7 +111,7 @@ define( function( require ) {
         var trailUnderPointer = event.trail;
 
         // TODO: consider changing this so that it just does a hit check and ignores anything in front?
-        var isInside = trailUnderPointer.isExtensionOf( this.downTrail, true );
+        var isInside = trailUnderPointer.isExtensionOf( this.downTrail, true ) && !this.interrupted;
 
         if ( isInside && this.options.upInside ) {
           this.options.upInside( event, this.downTrail );
@@ -134,6 +136,23 @@ define( function( require ) {
       this.buttonDown( event );
     },
 
+    // Called when input is interrupted on this listener, see https://github.com/phetsims/scenery/issues/218
+    interrupt: function() {
+      if ( this.isDown ) {
+        this.interrupted = true;
+
+        // We create a synthetic event here, as there is no available event here.
+        this.buttonUp( {
+          // Empty trail, so that it for-sure isn't under our downTrail (guaranteeing that isInside will be false).
+          trail: new Trail(),
+          currentTarget: this.downCurrentTarget,
+          pointer: this.pointer
+        } );
+
+        this.interrupted = false;
+      }
+    },
+
     // When enter/space pressed for this node, trigger a button down
     keydown: function( event ) {
       var keyCode = event.domEvent.keyCode;
diff --git a/js/input/SimpleDragHandler.js b/js/input/SimpleDragHandler.js
index 99c330089..463f8c0db 100644
--- a/js/input/SimpleDragHandler.js
+++ b/js/input/SimpleDragHandler.js
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ define( function( require ) {
     this.lastDragPoint = null;        // the location of the drag at the previous event (so we can calculate a delta)
     this.startTransformMatrix = null; // the node's transform at the start of the drag, so we can reset on a touch cancel
     this.mouseButton = undefined;     // tracks which mouse button was pressed, so we can handle that specifically
+    this.interrupted = false;         // whether the last input was interrupted (available during endDrag)
     // TODO: consider mouse buttons as separate pointers?
 
     // if an ancestor is transformed, pin our node
@@ -98,7 +99,7 @@ define( function( require ) {
       // mouse/touch move
       move: function( event ) {
         if ( !self.dragging ) { return; }
-        
+
         assert && assert( event.pointer === self.pointer, 'Wrong pointer in move' );
 
         var globalDelta = self.pointer.point.minus( self.lastDragPoint );
@@ -177,6 +178,21 @@ define( function( require ) {
       this.pointer = null;
     },
 
+    // Called when input is interrupted on this listener, see https://github.com/phetsims/scenery/issues/218
+    interrupt: function() {
+      if ( this.dragging ) {
+        this.interrupted = true;
+
+        // We create a synthetic event here, as there is no available event here.
+        this.endDrag( {
+          pointer: this.pointer,
+          currentTarget: this.node
+        } );
+
+        this.interrupted = false;
+      }
+    },
+
     tryToSnag: function( event ) {
       // don't allow drag attempts that use the wrong mouse button (-1 indicates any mouse button works)
       if ( event.pointer.isMouse && event.domEvent && this.options.mouseButton !== event.domEvent.button && this.options.mouseButton !== -1 ) {