diff --git a/.changelog/23383.txt b/.changelog/23383.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6d48f92f869
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changelog/23383.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+```release-note:bug
+server: Fixed a bug where expiring heartbeats for garbage collected nodes could panic the server
+```
diff --git a/nomad/heartbeat.go b/nomad/heartbeat.go
index 2b207b6ed41..6b394811843 100644
--- a/nomad/heartbeat.go
+++ b/nomad/heartbeat.go
@@ -183,6 +183,10 @@ func (h *nodeHeartbeater) disconnectState(id string) (bool, bool) {
 		h.logger.Error("error retrieving node by id", "error", err)
 		return false, false
 	}
+	if node == nil {
+		h.logger.Error("node not found", "node_id", id)
+		return false, false
+	}
 
 	// Exit if the node is already down or just initializing.
 	if node.Status == structs.NodeStatusDown || node.Status == structs.NodeStatusInit {