diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Core/Manifest/ManifestParser.cs b/src/Umbraco.Core/Manifest/ManifestParser.cs
index bb57e6dc6f..e30d188339 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Core/Manifest/ManifestParser.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Core/Manifest/ManifestParser.cs
@@ -141,12 +141,17 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.Manifest
         {
             var result = new List<PackageManifest>();
             foreach (var m in manifestFileContents)
-            {
-                // Strip byte object marker, JSON.NET does not like it
+            { 
                 var manifestContent = m;
-                var preAmble = Encoding.UTF8.GetString(Encoding.UTF8.GetPreamble());
-                if (manifestContent.StartsWith(preAmble))
-                    manifestContent = manifestContent.Remove(0, preAmble.Length);
+
+                if (manifestContent.IsNullOrWhiteSpace()) continue;
+
+                // Strip byte object marker, JSON.NET does not like it
+                var preamble = Encoding.UTF8.GetString(Encoding.UTF8.GetPreamble());
+
+                // Strangely StartsWith(preamble) would always return true
+                if (manifestContent.Substring(0, 1) == preamble)
+                    manifestContent = manifestContent.Remove(0, preamble.Length);
 
                 if (manifestContent.IsNullOrWhiteSpace()) continue;
 
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Tests/Manifest/ManifestParserTests.cs b/src/Umbraco.Tests/Manifest/ManifestParserTests.cs
index 652f14d9e1..4dc31e8474 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Tests/Manifest/ManifestParserTests.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Tests/Manifest/ManifestParserTests.cs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 using System;
 using System.IO;
 using System.Linq;
+using System.Text;
 using NUnit.Framework;
 using Newtonsoft.Json;
 using Newtonsoft.Json.Linq;
@@ -460,13 +461,15 @@ javascript: ['~/test.js',/*** some note about stuff asd09823-4**09234*/ '~/test2
             var content2 = "{javascript: []}";
             var content3 = "{javascript: ['~/test.js', '~/test2.js']}";
             var content4 = "{propertyEditors: [], javascript: ['~/test.js', '~/test2.js']}";
+            var content5 = Encoding.UTF8.GetString(Encoding.UTF8.GetPreamble()) + "{propertyEditors: [], javascript: ['~/test.js', '~/test2.js']}";
 
-            var result = ManifestParser.CreateManifests(null, content1, content2, content3, content4);
+            var result = ManifestParser.CreateManifests(null, content1, content2, content3, content4, content5);
 
-            Assert.AreEqual(4, result.Count());
+            Assert.AreEqual(5, result.Count());
             Assert.AreEqual(0, result.ElementAt(1).JavaScriptInitialize.Count);
             Assert.AreEqual(2, result.ElementAt(2).JavaScriptInitialize.Count);
             Assert.AreEqual(2, result.ElementAt(3).JavaScriptInitialize.Count);
+            Assert.AreEqual(2, result.ElementAt(4).JavaScriptInitialize.Count);
         }
 
         [Test]