diff --git a/pmd-java/etc/grammar/Java.jjt b/pmd-java/etc/grammar/Java.jjt
index 847398ce2d..dddb29ff17 100644
--- a/pmd-java/etc/grammar/Java.jjt
+++ b/pmd-java/etc/grammar/Java.jjt
@@ -2224,9 +2224,9 @@ void BlockStatement() #void:
 
 private void LocalTypeStartNoIdent() #void: // A lookahead
 {}
-{ // notice: not default
-    "public" | "static" | "protected" | "private" | "final"
-  | "abstract" | "synchronized" | "native" | "transient"
+{ // notice: not default, not synchronized, not final
+    "public" | "static" | "protected" | "private"
+  | "abstract" | "native" | "transient"
   | "volatile" | "strictfp"
 
   | "class" | "interface"
diff --git a/pmd-java/src/test/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/ast/ParserCornersTest.java b/pmd-java/src/test/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/ast/ParserCornersTest.java
index ada51709ee..2c4faf85f9 100644
--- a/pmd-java/src/test/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/ast/ParserCornersTest.java
+++ b/pmd-java/src/test/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/ast/ParserCornersTest.java
@@ -222,6 +222,11 @@ public class ParserCornersTest extends BaseJavaTreeDumpTest {
         doTest("SwitchStatements");
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testSynchronizedStatements() {
+        doTest("SynchronizedStmts");
+    }
+
 
     private static final String GENERICS_PROBLEM =
         "public class Test {\n public void test() {\n   String o = super.<String> doStuff(\"\");\n }\n}";
diff --git a/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/ast/SynchronizedStmts.java b/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/ast/SynchronizedStmts.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2782f54288
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/ast/SynchronizedStmts.java
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+
+class Sync {
+    public static void getInstance() {
+        synchronized (0) { // note that synchronized is also a modifier
+           return;
+        }
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/ast/SynchronizedStmts.txt b/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/ast/SynchronizedStmts.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8ee7e54976
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/ast/SynchronizedStmts.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
++- CompilationUnit[@PackageName = ""]
+   +- ClassOrInterfaceDeclaration[@Abstract = "false", @Annotation = "false", @Anonymous = "false", @BinaryName = "Sync", @CanonicalName = "Sync", @Enum = "false", @Interface = "false", @Local = "false", @Nested = "false", @PackageName = "", @PackagePrivate = "true", @Record = "false", @RegularClass = "true", @SimpleName = "Sync", @TopLevel = "true", @Visibility = "package"]
+      +- ModifierList[@EffectiveModifiers = "{}", @ExplicitModifiers = "{}"]
+      +- ClassOrInterfaceBody[@Size = "1"]
+         +- MethodDeclaration[@Abstract = "false", @Arity = "0", @Image = "getInstance", @Name = "getInstance", @Varargs = "false", @Visibility = "public", @Void = "true"]
+            +- ModifierList[@EffectiveModifiers = "{public, static}", @ExplicitModifiers = "{public, static}"]
+            +- VoidType[]
+            +- FormalParameters[@Size = "0"]
+            +- Block[@Size = "1", @containsComment = "false"]
+               +- SynchronizedStatement[]
+                  +- NumericLiteral[@Base = "10", @CompileTimeConstant = "true", @DoubleLiteral = "false", @FloatLiteral = "false", @Image = "0", @IntLiteral = "true", @Integral = "true", @LongLiteral = "false", @ParenthesisDepth = "0", @Parenthesized = "false", @PrimitiveType = "int", @ValueAsDouble = "0.0", @ValueAsFloat = "0.0", @ValueAsInt = "0", @ValueAsLong = "0"]
+                  +- Block[@Size = "1", @containsComment = "false"]
+                     +- ReturnStatement[]