diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1793f88f..df2f2e3b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -384,8 +384,8 @@ __Example__
 
 Creates a new java Proxy for the given interface. Functions passed in will run on the v8 main thread and not a new thread.
 
-The returned object has two methods ref() and unref() which you can use to maintain references to prevent premature
-garbage collection. You must call these methods to ensure the proxy stays around.
+The returned object has a method unref() which you can use to free the object for
+garbage collection.
 
 __Arguments__
 
diff --git a/compile-java-code.sh b/compile-java-code.sh
index 2e241b40..bc52d6fe 100755
--- a/compile-java-code.sh
+++ b/compile-java-code.sh
@@ -8,3 +8,6 @@ javac ${JAVAC_OPTS} *.java
 
 cd ../src-java/node
 javac ${JAVAC_OPTS} *.java
+
+cd ../../
+javah -classpath src-java -d ./src node.NodeDynamicProxyClass
diff --git a/src-java/node/NodeDynamicProxyClass.class b/src-java/node/NodeDynamicProxyClass.class
index 90a4f563..9584b6ee 100644
Binary files a/src-java/node/NodeDynamicProxyClass.class and b/src-java/node/NodeDynamicProxyClass.class differ
diff --git a/src-java/node/NodeDynamicProxyClass.java b/src-java/node/NodeDynamicProxyClass.java
index 56991a8e..223c39ff 100644
--- a/src-java/node/NodeDynamicProxyClass.java
+++ b/src-java/node/NodeDynamicProxyClass.java
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 package node;
 
-public class NodeDynamicProxyClass implements java.lang.reflect.InvocationHandler
-{
+import java.util.HashSet;
+
+public class NodeDynamicProxyClass implements java.lang.reflect.InvocationHandler {
   private native Object callJs(long ptr, java.lang.reflect.Method m, Object[] args) throws Throwable;
+  private native void unref(long ptr) throws Throwable;
   public long ptr;
 
   public NodeDynamicProxyClass(String path, long ptr) {
@@ -25,11 +27,7 @@ public Object invoke(Object proxy, java.lang.reflect.Method m, Object[] args) th
     return result;
   }
 
-  public void ref() {
-
-  }
-
-  public void unref() {
-
+  public void unref() throws Throwable {
+    unref(this.ptr);
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/java.cpp b/src/java.cpp
index e98e0878..ad14bf53 100644
--- a/src/java.cpp
+++ b/src/java.cpp
@@ -356,6 +356,7 @@ void Java::destroyJVM(JavaVM** jvm, JNIEnv** env) {
   if(result->IsNativeError()) {
     return ThrowException(result);
   }
+  dynamicProxyData->jsObject = v8::Persistent<v8::Value>::New(result);
   return scope.Close(result);
 }
 
@@ -989,3 +990,11 @@ JNIEXPORT jobject JNICALL Java_node_NodeDynamicProxyClass_callJs(JNIEnv *env, jo
   }
   return dynamicProxyData->result;
 }
+
+JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_node_NodeDynamicProxyClass_unref(JNIEnv *env, jobject src, jlong ptr) {
+  DynamicProxyData* dynamicProxyData = (DynamicProxyData*)ptr;
+  if(!dynamicProxyDataVerify(dynamicProxyData)) {
+    return;
+  }
+  dynamicProxyData->jsObject.Clear();
+}
diff --git a/src/javaObject.cpp b/src/javaObject.cpp
index dca7036c..e6a0a2ca 100644
--- a/src/javaObject.cpp
+++ b/src/javaObject.cpp
@@ -97,6 +97,8 @@ JavaObject::~JavaObject() {
     jfieldID ptrField = env->GetFieldID(nodeDynamicProxyClass, "ptr", "J");
     DynamicProxyData* proxyData = (DynamicProxyData*)(long)env->GetLongField(m_obj, ptrField);
     if(dynamicProxyDataVerify(proxyData)) {
+      proxyData->markerStart = 0;
+      proxyData->markerEnd = 0;
       delete proxyData;
     }
   }
diff --git a/src/node_NodeDynamicProxyClass.h b/src/node_NodeDynamicProxyClass.h
index 3b7b67cf..93b414d2 100644
--- a/src/node_NodeDynamicProxyClass.h
+++ b/src/node_NodeDynamicProxyClass.h
@@ -15,6 +15,14 @@ extern "C" {
 JNIEXPORT jobject JNICALL Java_node_NodeDynamicProxyClass_callJs
   (JNIEnv *, jobject, jlong, jobject, jobjectArray);
 
+/*
+ * Class:     node_NodeDynamicProxyClass
+ * Method:    unref
+ * Signature: (J)V
+ */
+JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_node_NodeDynamicProxyClass_unref
+  (JNIEnv *, jobject, jlong);
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
 #endif
diff --git a/src/utils.cpp b/src/utils.cpp
index 13063af7..c9f3015e 100644
--- a/src/utils.cpp
+++ b/src/utils.cpp
@@ -694,7 +694,7 @@ int dynamicProxyDataVerify(DynamicProxyData* data) {
     return 1;
   }
 
-  printf("*** ERROR: Lost reference to the dynamic proxy. You must maintain a reference in javascript land using ref() and unref(). ***\n");
+  printf("*** ERROR: Lost reference to the dynamic proxy. You must maintain a reference in javascript land using ref() and unref(). (%p) ***\n", data);
   return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/utils.h b/src/utils.h
index aef6393a..59cdd19f 100644
--- a/src/utils.h
+++ b/src/utils.h
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ struct DynamicProxyData {
   Java* java;
   std::string interfaceName;
   v8::Persistent<v8::Object> functions;
+  v8::Persistent<v8::Value> jsObject;
   std::string methodName;
   jobjectArray args;
   jobject result;