diff --git a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/aot/static_reflector.ts b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/aot/static_reflector.ts
index 4844e245f0..da7cda759d 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/aot/static_reflector.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/aot/static_reflector.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 import {Attribute, Component, ContentChild, ContentChildren, Directive, Host, HostBinding, HostListener, Inject, Injectable, Input, NgModule, Optional, Output, Pipe, Self, SkipSelf, ViewChild, ViewChildren, animate, group, keyframes, sequence, state, style, transition, trigger} from '@angular/core';
 
 import {ReflectorReader} from '../private_import_core';
+import {SyntaxError} from '../util';
 
 import {StaticSymbol} from './static_symbol';
 import {StaticSymbolResolver} from './static_symbol_resolver';
@@ -554,7 +555,7 @@ export class StaticReflector implements ReflectorReader {
         if (e.fileName) {
           throw positionalError(message, e.fileName, e.line, e.column);
         }
-        throw new Error(message);
+        throw new SyntaxError(message);
       }
     }
 
diff --git a/modules/@angular/compiler/test/aot/static_reflector_spec.ts b/modules/@angular/compiler/test/aot/static_reflector_spec.ts
index 3e02898cb4..4d7d657980 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/compiler/test/aot/static_reflector_spec.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/compiler/test/aot/static_reflector_spec.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
  * found in the LICENSE file at https://angular.io/license
  */
 
-import {StaticReflector, StaticSymbol, StaticSymbolCache, StaticSymbolResolver, StaticSymbolResolverHost} from '@angular/compiler';
+import {StaticReflector, StaticSymbol, StaticSymbolCache, StaticSymbolResolver, StaticSymbolResolverHost, SyntaxError} from '@angular/compiler';
 import {HostListener, Inject, animate, group, keyframes, sequence, state, style, transition, trigger} from '@angular/core';
 
 import {MockStaticSymbolResolverHost, MockSummaryResolver} from './static_symbol_resolver_spec';
@@ -344,6 +344,20 @@ describe('StaticReflector', () => {
             'Recursion not supported, resolving symbol recursive in /tmp/src/function-recursive.d.ts, resolving symbol recursion in /tmp/src/function-reference.ts, resolving symbol  in /tmp/src/function-reference.ts'));
   });
 
+  it('should throw a SyntaxError without stack trace when the required resource cannot be resolved',
+     () => {
+       expect(
+           () => simplify(
+               reflector.getStaticSymbol('/tmp/src/function-reference.ts', 'AppModule'), ({
+                 __symbolic: 'error',
+                 message:
+                     'Could not resolve ./does-not-exist.component relative to /tmp/src/function-reference.ts'
+               })))
+           .toThrowError(
+               SyntaxError,
+               'Error encountered resolving symbol values statically. Could not resolve ./does-not-exist.component relative to /tmp/src/function-reference.ts, resolving symbol AppModule in /tmp/src/function-reference.ts');
+     });
+
   it('should record data about the error in the exception', () => {
     let threw = false;
     try {