diff --git a/backend/bin/kafkaBridge.ts b/backend/bin/kafkaBridge.ts
index 51c949585..b8073d761 100644
--- a/backend/bin/kafkaBridge.ts
+++ b/backend/bin/kafkaBridge.ts
@@ -81,18 +81,24 @@ app.post("/kafka-bridge/api/v0/event", async (req, res) => {
   }
   logger.info(`Producing to topic ${topic} payload ${JSON.stringify(payload)}`)
 
+  let error = false
+
   try {
     producer.produce(topic, null, Buffer.from(JSON.stringify(payload)))
     flushProducer(1000).catch((err) => {
       logger.warn(new KafkaError("Flushing the producer failed", err))
-      return res.status(500).json({ error: err.toString() }).send()
+      error = true
+      res.status(500).json({ error: err.toString() }).send()
     })
   } catch (e: any) {
     logger.error(new KafkaError("Producing to kafka failed", e))
+    error = true
     return res.status(500).json({ error: e.toString() }).send()
   }
 
-  return res.json({ msg: "Thanks!" }).send()
+  if (!error) {
+    return res.json({ msg: "Thanks!" }).send()
+  }
 })
 
 app.get("/kafka-bridge/api/v0/healthz", (_, res) => {