diff --git a/lib/jsdoc/src/visitor.js b/lib/jsdoc/src/visitor.js
index 1d5f409b..fd8dfee9 100644
--- a/lib/jsdoc/src/visitor.js
+++ b/lib/jsdoc/src/visitor.js
@@ -39,8 +39,20 @@ function isBlockComment(comment) {
     return comment.type === 'CommentBlock';
 }
 
+/**
+ * Verify that a block comment exists; that it is a JSDoc comment; and that its leading delimiter
+ * does not contain three or more asterisks.
+ *
+ * @private
+ * @memberof module:jsdoc/src/parser.Parser
+ */
+function isValidJsdoc(commentSrc) {
+    return commentSrc && commentSrc.length > 4 && commentSrc.indexOf('/**') === 0 &&
+        commentSrc.indexOf('/***') !== 0;
+}
+
 // TODO: docs
-function getLeadingComment(node) {
+function getLeadingJsdocComment(node) {
     var comment = null;
     var leadingComments = node.leadingComments;
 
@@ -51,6 +63,10 @@ function getLeadingComment(node) {
         if (leadingComments.length) {
             // treat the comment closest to the node as the leading comment
             comment = getRawComment(leadingComments[leadingComments.length - 1]);
+
+            if ( !isValidJsdoc(comment) ) {
+                comment = null;
+            }
         }
     }
 
@@ -389,7 +405,7 @@ function SymbolFound(node, filename, extras) {
     extras = extras || {};
 
     this.id = extras.id || node.nodeId;
-    this.comment = extras.comment || getLeadingComment(node) || '@undocumented';
+    this.comment = extras.comment || getLeadingJsdocComment(node) || '@undocumented';
     this.lineno = extras.lineno || node.loc.start.line;
     this.columnno = extras.columnno || node.loc.start.column;
     this.range = extras.range || node.range;
@@ -471,18 +487,6 @@ Visitor.prototype.visit = function(node, filename) {
     return true;
 };
 
-/**
- * Verify that a block comment exists; that it is a JSDoc comment; and that its leading delimiter
- * does not contain three or more asterisks.
- *
- * @private
- * @memberof module:jsdoc/src/parser.Parser
- */
-function isValidJsdoc(commentSrc) {
-    return commentSrc && commentSrc.length > 4 && commentSrc.indexOf('/**') === 0 &&
-        commentSrc.indexOf('/***') !== 0;
-}
-
 // TODO: docs
 function hasComments(node) {
     return (node && node.leadingComments && node.leadingComments.length) ||
diff --git a/test/specs/jsdoc/src/visitor.js b/test/specs/jsdoc/src/visitor.js
index 8e95710e..66f1dcac 100644
--- a/test/specs/jsdoc/src/visitor.js
+++ b/test/specs/jsdoc/src/visitor.js
@@ -136,4 +136,88 @@ describe('jsdoc/src/visitor', function() {
             expect(events[0].comment).toBe('/** block comment */');
         });
     });
+
+    // TODO: these tests aren't working; for some strange reason, Node.js 6.10.2 stops running code
+    // for visitor.visitNode() while it's in the middle of the SymbolFound constructor. maybe a
+    // version-specific bug?
+    xdescribe('visitNode', function() {
+        // TODO: more tests
+
+        var events = [];
+
+        function listener(event) {
+            events.push(event);
+        }
+
+        beforeEach(function() {
+            parser.addListener('symbolFound', listener);
+        });
+
+        afterEach(function() {
+            parser.removeListener('symbolFound', listener);
+            events = [];
+        });
+
+        it('should ignore non-JSDoc leading comments', function() {
+            var node = {
+                type: 'Property',
+                key: {
+                    type: 'Identifier',
+                    name: 'foo'
+                },
+                value: {
+                    type: 'Literal',
+                    value: true
+                },
+                kind: 'init',
+                leadingComments: [
+                    {
+                        type: 'CommentBlock',
+                        value: ' block comment ',
+                        loc: {
+                            start: {
+                                line: 0,
+                                column: 0
+                            }
+                        }
+                    }
+                ]
+            };
+
+            visitor.visitNode(node, parser, 'fake');
+
+            expect(events[0].comment).toBe('');
+        });
+
+        it('should include JSDoc leading comments', function() {
+            var node = {
+                type: 'Property',
+                key: {
+                    type: 'Identifier',
+                    name: 'foo'
+                },
+                value: {
+                    type: 'Literal',
+                    value: true
+                },
+                kind: 'init',
+                leadingComments: [
+                    {
+                        type: 'CommentBlock',
+                        value: '* block comment ',
+                        loc: {
+                            start: {
+                                line: 0,
+                                column: 0
+                            }
+                        }
+                    }
+                ]
+            };
+
+            visitor.visitNode(node, parser, 'fake');
+
+            expect(events[0].comment).toBe('/** block comment */');
+        });
+    });
 });