diff --git a/packages/beacon-node/src/api/impl/validator/index.ts b/packages/beacon-node/src/api/impl/validator/index.ts
index 371ab178c14e..0256d23cedc0 100644
--- a/packages/beacon-node/src/api/impl/validator/index.ts
+++ b/packages/beacon-node/src/api/impl/validator/index.ts
@@ -1808,7 +1808,7 @@ export function getValidatorApi(
       const filteredRegistrations = registrations.filter((registration) => {
         const {pubkey} = registration.message;
         const validatorIndex = chain.pubkeyCache.getIndex(pubkey);
-        if (validatorIndex === null) return false;
+        if (validatorIndex === null || validatorIndex >= headState.validatorCount) return false;
 
         const validator = headState.getValidator(validatorIndex);
         const status = getValidatorStatus(validator, currentEpoch);
diff --git a/packages/state-transition/src/block/processWithdrawalRequest.ts b/packages/state-transition/src/block/processWithdrawalRequest.ts
index a91c745d91a0..245f5ce9658d 100644
--- a/packages/state-transition/src/block/processWithdrawalRequest.ts
+++ b/packages/state-transition/src/block/processWithdrawalRequest.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,11 @@ import {
 import {electra, phase0, ssz} from "@lodestar/types";
 import {toHex} from "@lodestar/utils";
 import {CachedBeaconStateElectra, CachedBeaconStateGloas} from "../types.js";
-import {hasCompoundingWithdrawalCredential, hasExecutionWithdrawalCredential} from "../util/electra.js";
+import {
+  hasCompoundingWithdrawalCredential,
+  hasExecutionWithdrawalCredential,
+  isValidatorKnown,
+} from "../util/electra.js";
 import {computeExitEpochAndUpdateChurn} from "../util/epoch.js";
 import {getPendingBalanceToWithdraw, isActiveValidator} from "../util/validator.js";
 import {initiateValidatorExit} from "./initiateValidatorExit.js";
@@ -32,7 +36,7 @@ export function processWithdrawalRequest(
   // bail out if validator is not in beacon state
   // note that we don't need to check for 6110 unfinalized vals as they won't be eligible for withdraw/exit anyway
   const validatorIndex = pubkeyCache.getIndex(withdrawalRequest.validatorPubkey);
-  if (validatorIndex === null) {
+  if (!isValidatorKnown(state, validatorIndex)) {
     return;
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/state-transition/test/unit/block/processWithdrawalRequest.test.ts b/packages/state-transition/test/unit/block/processWithdrawalRequest.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..948707d30c92
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/state-transition/test/unit/block/processWithdrawalRequest.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+import {describe, expect, it} from "vitest";
+import {fromHexString} from "@chainsafe/ssz";
+import {ForkSeq} from "@lodestar/params";
+import {ssz} from "@lodestar/types";
+import {processWithdrawalRequest} from "../../../src/block/processWithdrawalRequest.js";
+import {generateCachedElectraState} from "../../utils/state.js";
+
+const futureValidatorPubkey = fromHexString(
+  "0xa41726266b1d83ef609d759ba7796d54cfe549154e01e4730a3378309bc81a7638140d7e184b33593c072595f23f032d"
+);
+
+describe("processWithdrawalRequest", () => {
+  it("ignores a validator present only in the shared pubkey cache", () => {
+    const state = generateCachedElectraState();
+    const futureState = state.clone();
+    const futureValidatorIndex = state.validators.length;
+    futureState.epochCtx.addPubkey(futureValidatorIndex, futureValidatorPubkey);
+
+    const request = ssz.electra.WithdrawalRequest.defaultValue();
+    request.validatorPubkey = futureValidatorPubkey;
+
+    expect(state.epochCtx.getValidatorIndex(futureValidatorPubkey)).toBe(futureValidatorIndex);
+    expect(() => processWithdrawalRequest(ForkSeq.electra, state, request)).not.toThrow();
+    expect(state.pendingPartialWithdrawals.length).toBe(0);
+  });
+});