diff --git a/cpp/src/io/json/process_tokens.cu b/cpp/src/io/json/process_tokens.cu
index 49f8503351d..3dbabb6944b 100644
--- a/cpp/src/io/json/process_tokens.cu
+++ b/cpp/src/io/json/process_tokens.cu
@@ -93,19 +93,12 @@ void validate_token_stream(device_span<char const> d_input,
       [data = d_input.data(),
        allow_numeric_leading_zeros =
          options.is_allowed_numeric_leading_zeros(),
-       allow_nonnumeric = 
-         options.is_allowed_nonnumeric_numbers()] __device__(int32_t i, 
-                                                             SymbolOffsetT start,
+       allow_nonnumeric =
+         options.is_allowed_nonnumeric_numbers()] __device__(SymbolOffsetT start,
                                                              SymbolOffsetT end) -> bool {
       // This validates an unquoted value. A value must match https://www.json.org/json-en.html
       // but the leading and training whitespace should already have been removed, and is not
       // a string
-      //for (SymbolOffsetT idx = start; idx < end; idx++) {
-      //  printf("%i VALUE CHAR %i/%i => '%c'\n", i, idx, end, data[idx]);
-      //}
-      //printf("\t%i VALUE CHAR END\n", i);
-
-      // TODO do I need to worry about an empty value???
       auto c = data[start];
       if ('n' == c) {
         return substr_eq(data, start, end, 4, "null");
@@ -217,7 +210,6 @@ void validate_token_stream(device_span<char const> d_input,
           num_state != number_state::saw_neg &&
           num_state != number_state::saw_radix;
       } else {
-        //printf("%i OTHER %c\n", i, c);
         return false;
       }
     };
@@ -225,28 +217,21 @@ void validate_token_stream(device_span<char const> d_input,
     auto validate_strings =
       [data = d_input.data(),
        allow_unquoted_control_chars = 
-         options.is_allowed_unquoted_control_chars()] __device__(int32_t i, 
-                                                                 SymbolOffsetT start,
+         options.is_allowed_unquoted_control_chars()] __device__(SymbolOffsetT start,
                                                                  SymbolOffsetT end) -> bool {
       // This validates a quoted string. A string must match https://www.json.org/json-en.html
       // but we already know that it has a starting and ending " and all white space has been
-      // stripped out.
-      //for (SymbolOffsetT idx = start + 1; idx < end; idx++) {
-      //  printf("%i STR CHAR %i/%i => '%c'\n", i, idx, end, data[idx]);
-      //}
-      //printf("\t%i STR CHAR END\n", i);
+      // stripped out. Also the base CUDF validation makes sure escaped chars are correct
+      // so we only need to worry about unquoted control chars     
 
-      for (SymbolOffsetT idx = start + 1; idx < end; idx++) {
-        auto c = data[idx];
-        if (!allow_unquoted_control_chars && c >= 0 && c < 32) {
-          //printf("%i FOUND INVALID CHAR AT %i %i\n", i, idx, c);
-          return false;
-        //} else {
-        //  printf("%i FOUND GOOD CHAR AT %i '%c'\n", i, idx, c);
+      if (!allow_unquoted_control_chars) {
+        for (SymbolOffsetT idx = start + 1; idx < end; idx++) {
+          auto c = data[idx];
+          if (c >= 0 && c < 32) {
+            return false;
+          }
         }
       }
-      //printf("\t%i STR CHAR END\n", i);
- 
       return true;
     };
 
@@ -257,10 +242,10 @@ void validate_token_stream(device_span<char const> d_input,
                       validate_values,
                       validate_strings] __device__(auto i) -> bool {
       if (tokens[i] == token_t::ValueEnd) {
-        return !validate_values(i, token_indices[i - 1], token_indices[i]);
+        return !validate_values(token_indices[i - 1], token_indices[i]);
       } else if (tokens[i] == token_t::FieldNameEnd ||
           tokens[i] == token_t::StringEnd) {
-        return !validate_strings(i, token_indices[i - 1], token_indices[i]);
+        return !validate_strings(token_indices[i - 1], token_indices[i]);
       }
       return false;
     };
diff --git a/java/src/test/java/ai/rapids/cudf/TableTest.java b/java/src/test/java/ai/rapids/cudf/TableTest.java
index 10db8ff12b2..285dc5c644c 100644
--- a/java/src/test/java/ai/rapids/cudf/TableTest.java
+++ b/java/src/test/java/ai/rapids/cudf/TableTest.java
@@ -498,7 +498,11 @@ void testReadSingleQuotesJSONFileKeepQuotes() throws IOException {
       "{\"a\": \"A\u001FB\"}\n" +
       "{\"a\": \"A\\u001FB\"}\n" +
       "{\"a\": \"A\u0020B\"}\n" +
-      "{\"a\": \"A\\u0020B\"}\n"
+      "{\"a\": \"A\\u0020B\"}\n" +
+      "{\"a\": \"\\u12\"}\n" +
+
+      "{\"a\": \"\\z\"}\n" +
+      "{\"a\": \"\\r\"}\n"
   ).getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
 
   @Test
@@ -522,7 +526,8 @@ void testJSONValidationNoStrict() {
             "true", "false", null, "true", "true", "1", "0", "-", "-0", "-01",
             "01", "-0.1", "-00.1", "NaN", "INF", "+INF", "-INF", "+Infinity", "Infinity", "-Infinity",
             "INFinity", "\"3710-11-10T02:46:58.732Z\"", "12.", "-3.4e+38", "-3.4e-38", "1.4e38", "-3.4E+38", "-3.4E-38", "1.4E38", "-3.4E+",
-            "-3.4E-", "\"A\u0000B\"", "\"A\u0000B\"", "\"A\u0001B\"", "\"A\u0001B\"", "\"A\u001FB\"", "\"A\u001FB\"", "\"A B\"", "\"A B\"")
+            "-3.4E-", "\"A\u0000B\"", "\"A\u0000B\"", "\"A\u0001B\"", "\"A\u0001B\"", "\"A\u001FB\"", "\"A\u001FB\"", "\"A B\"", "\"A B\"", null,
+            null, "\"\r\"")
         .build();
          MultiBufferDataSource source = sourceFrom(JSON_VALIDATION_BUFFER);
          Table table = Table.readJSON(schema, opts, source, (int)expected.getRowCount())) {
@@ -551,7 +556,8 @@ void testJSONValidation() {
             "true", "false", null, null, "true", "1", "0", null, "-0", null,
             null, "-0.1", null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null,
             null, "\"3710-11-10T02:46:58.732Z\"", null, "-3.4e+38", "-3.4e-38", "1.4e38", "-3.4E+38", "-3.4E-38", "1.4E38", null,
-            null, "\"A\u0000B\"", "\"A\u0000B\"", "\"A\u0001B\"", "\"A\u0001B\"", "\"A\u001FB\"", "\"A\u001FB\"", "\"A B\"", "\"A B\"")
+            null, "\"A\u0000B\"", "\"A\u0000B\"", "\"A\u0001B\"", "\"A\u0001B\"", "\"A\u001FB\"", "\"A\u001FB\"", "\"A B\"", "\"A B\"", null,
+            null, "\"\r\"")
         .build();
          MultiBufferDataSource source = sourceFrom(JSON_VALIDATION_BUFFER);
          Table table = Table.readJSON(schema, opts, source, (int)expected.getRowCount())) {
@@ -580,7 +586,8 @@ void testJSONValidationLeadingZeros() {
             "true", "false", null, null, "true", "1", "0", null, "-0", "-01",
             "01", "-0.1", "-00.1", null, null, null, null, null, null, null,
             null, "\"3710-11-10T02:46:58.732Z\"", null, "-3.4e+38", "-3.4e-38", "1.4e38", "-3.4E+38", "-3.4E-38", "1.4E38", null,
-            null, "\"A\u0000B\"", "\"A\u0000B\"", "\"A\u0001B\"", "\"A\u0001B\"", "\"A\u001FB\"", "\"A\u001FB\"", "\"A B\"", "\"A B\"")
+            null, "\"A\u0000B\"", "\"A\u0000B\"", "\"A\u0001B\"", "\"A\u0001B\"", "\"A\u001FB\"", "\"A\u001FB\"", "\"A B\"", "\"A B\"", null,
+            null, "\"\r\"")
         .build();
          MultiBufferDataSource source = sourceFrom(JSON_VALIDATION_BUFFER);
          Table table = Table.readJSON(schema, opts, source, (int)expected.getRowCount())) {
@@ -609,7 +616,8 @@ void testJSONValidationNonNumeric() {
             "true", "false", null, null, "true", "1", "0", null, "-0", null,
             null, "-0.1", null, "NaN", null, "+INF", "-INF", "+Infinity", "Infinity", "-Infinity",
             null, "\"3710-11-10T02:46:58.732Z\"", null, "-3.4e+38", "-3.4e-38", "1.4e38", "-3.4E+38", "-3.4E-38", "1.4E38", null,
-            null, "\"A\u0000B\"", "\"A\u0000B\"", "\"A\u0001B\"", "\"A\u0001B\"", "\"A\u001FB\"", "\"A\u001FB\"", "\"A B\"", "\"A B\"")
+            null, "\"A\u0000B\"", "\"A\u0000B\"", "\"A\u0001B\"", "\"A\u0001B\"", "\"A\u001FB\"", "\"A\u001FB\"", "\"A B\"", "\"A B\"", null,
+            null, "\"\r\"")
         .build();
          MultiBufferDataSource source = sourceFrom(JSON_VALIDATION_BUFFER);
          Table table = Table.readJSON(schema, opts, source, (int)expected.getRowCount())) {
@@ -638,7 +646,8 @@ void testJSONValidationUnquotedControl() {
             "true", "false", null, null, "true", "1", "0", null, "-0", null,
             null, "-0.1", null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null,
             null, "\"3710-11-10T02:46:58.732Z\"", null, "-3.4e+38", "-3.4e-38", "1.4e38", "-3.4E+38", "-3.4E-38", "1.4E38", null,
-            null, null, "\"A\u0000B\"", null, "\"A\u0001B\"", null, "\"A\u001FB\"", "\"A B\"", "\"A B\"")
+            null, null, "\"A\u0000B\"", null, "\"A\u0001B\"", null, "\"A\u001FB\"", "\"A B\"", "\"A B\"", null,
+            null, "\"\r\"")
         .build();
          MultiBufferDataSource source = sourceFrom(JSON_VALIDATION_BUFFER);
          Table table = Table.readJSON(schema, opts, source, (int)expected.getRowCount())) {