diff --git a/packages/beacon-node/src/network/core/networkCore.ts b/packages/beacon-node/src/network/core/networkCore.ts
index 6e78e1acc3dc..c2ed2159bc6a 100644
--- a/packages/beacon-node/src/network/core/networkCore.ts
+++ b/packages/beacon-node/src/network/core/networkCore.ts
@@ -70,6 +70,15 @@ export type BaseNetworkInit = {
   initialCustodyGroupCount: number;
 };
 
+/** Counts of what is still keeping this thread's event loop alive, e.g. `TCPWrap=3,Timeout=1` */
+function formatActiveResources(): string {
+  const counts = new Map<string, number>();
+  for (const resource of process.getActiveResourcesInfo()) {
+    counts.set(resource, (counts.get(resource) ?? 0) + 1);
+  }
+  return Array.from(counts, ([name, count]) => `${name}=${count}`).join(",");
+}
+
 /**
  * This class is meant to work both:
  * - In a libp2p worker
@@ -289,7 +298,10 @@ export class NetworkCore implements INetworkCore {
     this.attnetsService.close();
     this.syncnetsService.close();
     await this.libp2p.stop();
-    this.logger.debug("network lib2p closed");
+    // Diagnostic for the shutdown hang, this thread can spin in `Environment::CleanupHandles()` on
+    // a handle that never closes and `Worker.terminate()` then never resolves. Diffing this list
+    // between a clean and a stuck shutdown should narrow down which handle it is
+    this.logger.debug("network lib2p closed", {activeResources: formatActiveResources()});
 
     this.closed = true;
   }
diff --git a/packages/beacon-node/src/network/core/networkCoreWorkerHandler.ts b/packages/beacon-node/src/network/core/networkCoreWorkerHandler.ts
index 508aec90a08e..72a9c4379611 100644
--- a/packages/beacon-node/src/network/core/networkCoreWorkerHandler.ts
+++ b/packages/beacon-node/src/network/core/networkCoreWorkerHandler.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import {BeaconConfig, chainConfigToJson} from "@lodestar/config";
 import type {LoggerNode} from "@lodestar/logger/node";
 import {ResponseIncoming, ResponseOutgoing} from "@lodestar/reqresp";
 import {Status} from "@lodestar/types";
+import {withTimeout} from "@lodestar/utils";
 import {Metrics} from "../../metrics/index.js";
 import {AsyncIterableBridgeCaller, AsyncIterableBridgeHandler} from "../../util/asyncIterableToEvents.js";
 import {PeerIdStr, peerIdFromString} from "../../util/peerId.js";
@@ -58,6 +59,10 @@ type WorkerNetworkCoreModules = WorkerNetworkCoreInitModules & {
 
 const NETWORK_WORKER_EXIT_TIMEOUT_MS = 1000;
 const NETWORK_WORKER_EXIT_RETRY_COUNT = 3;
+/** `getApi().close()` is an unbounded RPC into the worker and runs before `BeaconNode.close()`
+ * archives chain state to disk, so it is bounded here. Set well above the ~2-4s a close takes on
+ * mainnet, tripping it leaves libp2p half torn down */
+const NETWORK_CORE_CLOSE_TIMEOUT_MS = 5000;
 
 /**
  * NetworkCore implementation using a Worker thread
@@ -165,15 +170,25 @@ export class WorkerNetworkCore implements INetworkCore {
 
   async close(): Promise<void> {
     this.modules.logger.debug("closing network core running in network worker");
-    await this.getApi().close();
+    try {
+      await withTimeout(async () => this.getApi().close(), NETWORK_CORE_CLOSE_TIMEOUT_MS);
+    } catch (e) {
+      this.modules.logger.debug("Error closing network core", {}, e as Error);
+    }
     this.modules.logger.debug("terminating network worker");
-    await terminateWorkerThread({
+    const terminated = await terminateWorkerThread({
       worker: this.getApi(),
       retryCount: NETWORK_WORKER_EXIT_RETRY_COUNT,
       retryMs: NETWORK_WORKER_EXIT_TIMEOUT_MS,
       logger: this.modules.logger,
     });
-    this.modules.logger.debug("terminated network worker");
+    if (terminated) {
+      this.modules.logger.debug("terminated network worker");
+    } else {
+      // Nothing more to do, `process.exit()` joins the thread regardless so the process still waits
+      // on it. What matters is returning, so the caller can archive state and close the db
+      this.modules.logger.debug("Network worker did not terminate in time, continuing shutdown without it");
+    }
   }
 
   async test(): Promise<void> {
diff --git a/packages/beacon-node/src/util/workerEvents.ts b/packages/beacon-node/src/util/workerEvents.ts
index d67017089763..b5815b14fffc 100644
--- a/packages/beacon-node/src/util/workerEvents.ts
+++ b/packages/beacon-node/src/util/workerEvents.ts
@@ -111,6 +111,12 @@ export function wireEventsOnMainThread<EventData>(
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Terminate a worker thread, bounded to `retryCount * retryMs`.
+ *
+ * @returns `false` if it could not be terminated, the worker thread is then still running and the
+ * caller has to decide how to proceed without it.
+ */
 export async function terminateWorkerThread({
   worker,
   retryMs,
@@ -121,7 +127,7 @@ export async function terminateWorkerThread({
   retryMs: number;
   retryCount: number;
   logger?: Logger;
-}): Promise<void> {
+}): Promise<boolean> {
   const terminated = new Promise((resolve) => {
     Thread.events(worker).subscribe((event) => {
       if (event.type === "termination") {
@@ -131,13 +137,19 @@ export async function terminateWorkerThread({
   });
 
   for (let i = 0; i < retryCount; i++) {
-    await Thread.terminate(worker);
-    const result = await Promise.race([terminated, sleep(retryMs).then(() => false)]);
+    // `Worker.terminate()` resolves only once the worker thread exits, and the thread can spin
+    // forever in `Environment::CleanupHandles()` when a libuv handle on its loop never closes, so
+    // it has to be raced too, otherwise `retryCount * retryMs` never applies.
+    const result = await Promise.race([
+      Thread.terminate(worker).then(() => terminated),
+      sleep(retryMs).then(() => false),
+    ]);
 
-    if (result) return;
+    if (result) return true;
 
-    logger?.warn("Worker thread failed to terminate, retrying...");
+    logger?.debug("Worker thread failed to terminate, retrying...");
   }
 
-  throw new Error(`Worker thread failed to terminate in ${retryCount * retryMs}ms.`);
+  logger?.debug(`Worker thread failed to terminate in ${retryCount * retryMs}ms`);
+  return false;
 }
diff --git a/packages/beacon-node/test/unit/util/workerEvents.test.ts b/packages/beacon-node/test/unit/util/workerEvents.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..21d33bbc2a7b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/beacon-node/test/unit/util/workerEvents.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+import {afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi} from "vitest";
+import {Thread} from "@chainsafe/threads";
+import {terminateWorkerThread} from "../../../src/util/workerEvents.js";
+
+vi.mock("@chainsafe/threads", () => ({
+  Thread: {
+    terminate: vi.fn(),
+    events: vi.fn(),
+  },
+}));
+
+describe("util / workerEvents / terminateWorkerThread", () => {
+  const retryMs = 20;
+  const retryCount = 3;
+  const worker = {} as Thread;
+
+  function mockEvents(events: Array<{type: string}>): void {
+    vi.mocked(Thread.events).mockReturnValue({
+      subscribe: (cb: (event: {type: string}) => void) => {
+        for (const event of events) cb(event);
+        return {unsubscribe: () => {}};
+      },
+    } as unknown as ReturnType<typeof Thread.events>);
+  }
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.clearAllMocks();
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    vi.useRealTimers();
+  });
+
+  it("returns true when the worker terminates and emits a termination event", async () => {
+    mockEvents([{type: "termination"}]);
+    vi.mocked(Thread.terminate).mockResolvedValue(undefined as never);
+
+    await expect(terminateWorkerThread({worker, retryMs, retryCount})).resolves.toBe(true);
+    expect(Thread.terminate).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+
+  it("returns false in bounded time when Thread.terminate() never resolves (does not hang)", async () => {
+    // Worker that never exits, terminate() never resolves
+    mockEvents([]);
+    vi.mocked(Thread.terminate).mockReturnValue(new Promise<void>(() => {}) as never);
+
+    const promise = terminateWorkerThread({worker, retryMs, retryCount});
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(retryMs * retryCount);
+
+    await expect(promise).resolves.toBe(false);
+    expect(Thread.terminate).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(retryCount);
+  });
+});