diff --git a/lib/internal/test_runner/runner.js b/lib/internal/test_runner/runner.js
index 3f9e855f755212..53e426561148cd 100644
--- a/lib/internal/test_runner/runner.js
+++ b/lib/internal/test_runner/runner.js
@@ -851,7 +851,10 @@ function run(options = kEmptyObject) {
             );
             if (topLevelTestCount === root.subtests.length) {
               // This file had no tests in it. Add the placeholder test.
-              const subtest = root.createSubtest(Test, testFile);
+              const subtest = root.createSubtest(Test, testFile, kEmptyObject, undefined, {
+                __proto__: null,
+                loc: [1, 1, resolve(testFile)],
+              });
               if (threw) {
                 subtest.fail(importError);
               }
diff --git a/test/fixtures/test-runner/syntax-error-test.mjs b/test/fixtures/test-runner/syntax-error-test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..536821087677cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/test-runner/syntax-error-test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+import { test } from 'node:test';
+
+test('a test!', () => {
+    if true {
+        // syntax error
+    }
+});
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-runner-enqueue-file-syntax-error.js b/test/parallel/test-runner-enqueue-file-syntax-error.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..dc520feade320e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parallel/test-runner-enqueue-file-syntax-error.js
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+'use strict';
+const common = require('../common');
+const assert = require('node:assert');
+const fixtures = require('../common/fixtures');
+const { run } = require('node:test');
+
+const testFile = fixtures.path('test-runner', 'syntax-error-test.mjs');
+const testRun = run({
+  files: [testFile],
+  isolation: 'none'
+});
+
+testRun.on('test:enqueue', common.mustCall((test) => {
+  assert.strictEqual(test.file, testFile);
+}));
+
+testRun.on('test:fail', common.mustCall((test) => {
+  assert.match(test.details.error.toString(), /SyntaxError: Unexpected token 'true'/);
+}));