diff --git a/src/mongo/db/matcher/path.cpp b/src/mongo/db/matcher/path.cpp
index e06412814d..94bcb96aa4 100644
--- a/src/mongo/db/matcher/path.cpp
+++ b/src/mongo/db/matcher/path.cpp
@@ -171,6 +171,7 @@ BSONElement BSONElementIterator::ArrayIterationState::next() {
 
 
 bool BSONElementIterator::subCursorHasMore() {
+
     // While we still are still finding arrays along the path, keep traversing deeper.
     while (_subCursor) {
         if (_subCursor->more()) {
@@ -267,6 +268,7 @@ bool BSONElementIterator::more() {
         // We're traversing an array.  Look at each array element.
 
         while (_arrayIterationState.more()) {
+
             BSONElement eltInArray = _arrayIterationState.next();
             if (!_arrayIterationState.hasMore) {
                 // Our path terminates at this array.  _next should point at the current array
@@ -275,10 +277,13 @@ bool BSONElementIterator::more() {
                 return true;
             }
 
-            // Our path does not terminate at this array; there's a subpath left over.  Inspect
-            // the current array element to see if it could match the subpath.
-
-            if (eltInArray.type() == Object) {
+            // Our path does not terminate at this array; there's a subpath left over. Inspect
+            // the current array element to see if it could match the subpath. Note that we match
+            // the subpath without positional path component only when the immediate field is not a
+            // numeric. For example, in document {a: [0, 0, {1: 0}]}, the inner object {1: 0} can
+            // only be referenced by specifying the position of the object in the array. To access
+            // the inner object {1: 0} the path should be specified as "a.2.1".
+            if (eltInArray.type() == Object && !_arrayIterationState.nextPieceOfPathIsNumber) {
                 // The current array element is a subdocument.  See if the subdocument generates
                 // any elements matching the remaining subpath.
                 _subCursorPath.reset(new ElementPath());
@@ -303,10 +308,9 @@ bool BSONElementIterator::more() {
                     return true;
                 }
 
-                invariant(eltInArray.type() != Object);  // Handled above.
-                if (eltInArray.type() == Array) {
-                    // The current array element is itself an array.  See if the nested array
-                    // has any elements matching the remainihng.
+                if (eltInArray.type() == Array || eltInArray.type() == Object) {
+                    // The current array element is itself an array/object.  See if the nested
+                    // array/object has any elements matching the remaining.
                     _subCursorPath.reset(new ElementPath());
                     _subCursorPath->init(_arrayIterationState.restOfPath.substr(
                         _arrayIterationState.nextPieceOfPath.size() + 1));
@@ -314,15 +318,17 @@ bool BSONElementIterator::more() {
                     BSONElementIterator* real = new BSONElementIterator(
                         _subCursorPath.get(), _arrayIterationState._current.Obj());
                     _subCursor.reset(real);
-                    real->_arrayIterationState.reset(_subCursorPath->fieldRef(), 0);
-                    real->_arrayIterationState.startIterator(eltInArray);
-                    real->_state = IN_ARRAY;
 
-                    // Set _arrayIterationState._current to EOO. This is not an implicit array
-                    // traversal, so we should not override the array offset of the subcursor with
-                    // the current array offset.
-                    _arrayIterationState._current = BSONElement();
+                    if (eltInArray.type() == Array) {
+                        real->_arrayIterationState.reset(_subCursorPath->fieldRef(), 0);
+                        real->_arrayIterationState.startIterator(eltInArray);
+                        real->_state = IN_ARRAY;
 
+                        // Set _arrayIterationState._current to EOO. This is not an implicit array
+                        // traversal, so we should not override the array offset of the subcursor
+                        // with the current array offset.
+                        _arrayIterationState._current = BSONElement();
+                    }
                     if (subCursorHasMore()) {
                         return true;
                     }
@@ -338,7 +344,6 @@ bool BSONElementIterator::more() {
         _state = DONE;
         return true;
     }
-
     return false;
 }