diff --git a/DataFormats/PatCandidates/interface/PackedCandidate.h b/DataFormats/PatCandidates/interface/PackedCandidate.h
index de779165bcda4..f8318fe892edc 100644
--- a/DataFormats/PatCandidates/interface/PackedCandidate.h
+++ b/DataFormats/PatCandidates/interface/PackedCandidate.h
@@ -590,7 +590,7 @@ namespace pat {
     void packVtx(bool unpackAfterwards=true) ;
     void unpackVtx() const ;
     void maybeUnpackBoth() const { if (!p4c_) unpack(); if (!vertex_) unpackVtx(); }
-    void packBoth() { pack(false); packVtx(false); delete p4_.exchange(nullptr); delete p4c_.exchange(nullptr); unpack(); unpackVtx(); } // do it this way, so that we don't loose precision on the angles before computing dxy,dz
+    void packBoth() { pack(false); packVtx(false); delete p4_.exchange(nullptr); delete p4c_.exchange(nullptr); delete vertex_.exchange(nullptr); unpack(); unpackVtx(); } // do it this way, so that we don't loose precision on the angles before computing dxy,dz
     void unpackTrk() const ;
 
     int8_t packedPuppiweight_;