diff --git a/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/README.md b/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/README.md
index c9194c0c9..ca76adb94 100644
--- a/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/README.md
+++ b/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/README.md
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ RUN mvn dependency:go-offline dependency:copy-dependencies
 
 # compile the function
 ADD . .
-RUN mvn package 
+RUN mvn package
 
 # copy the function artifact and dependencies onto a clean base
 FROM base
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ pom.xml
     <dependency>
       <groupId>com.amazonaws</groupId>
       <artifactId>aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client</artifactId>
-      <version>2.4.1</version>
+      <version>2.4.2</version>
     </dependency>
   </dependencies>
   <build>
@@ -106,18 +106,18 @@ public class App {
 
 ### Local Testing
 
-To make it easy to locally test Lambda functions packaged as container images we open-sourced a lightweight web-server, Lambda Runtime Interface Emulator (RIE), which allows your function packaged as a container image to accept HTTP requests. You can install the [AWS Lambda Runtime Interface Emulator](https://github.com/aws/aws-lambda-runtime-interface-emulator) on your local machine to test your function. Then when you run the image function, you set the entrypoint to be the emulator. 
+To make it easy to locally test Lambda functions packaged as container images we open-sourced a lightweight web-server, Lambda Runtime Interface Emulator (RIE), which allows your function packaged as a container image to accept HTTP requests. You can install the [AWS Lambda Runtime Interface Emulator](https://github.com/aws/aws-lambda-runtime-interface-emulator) on your local machine to test your function. Then when you run the image function, you set the entrypoint to be the emulator.
 
 *To install the emulator and test your Lambda function*
 
-1) Run the following command to download the RIE from GitHub and install it on your local machine. 
+1) Run the following command to download the RIE from GitHub and install it on your local machine.
 
 ```shell script
 mkdir -p ~/.aws-lambda-rie && \
     curl -Lo ~/.aws-lambda-rie/aws-lambda-rie https://github.com/aws/aws-lambda-runtime-interface-emulator/releases/latest/download/aws-lambda-rie && \
     chmod +x ~/.aws-lambda-rie/aws-lambda-rie
 ```
-2) Run your Lambda image function using the docker run command. 
+2) Run your Lambda image function using the docker run command.
 
 ```shell script
 docker run -d -v ~/.aws-lambda-rie:/aws-lambda -p 9000:8080 \
@@ -126,9 +126,9 @@ docker run -d -v ~/.aws-lambda-rie:/aws-lambda -p 9000:8080 \
     /usr/bin/java -cp './*' com.amazonaws.services.lambda.runtime.api.client.AWSLambda example.App::sayHello
 ```
 
-This runs the image as a container and starts up an endpoint locally at `http://localhost:9000/2015-03-31/functions/function/invocations`. 
+This runs the image as a container and starts up an endpoint locally at `http://localhost:9000/2015-03-31/functions/function/invocations`.
 
-3) Post an event to the following endpoint using a curl command: 
+3) Post an event to the following endpoint using a curl command:
 
 ```shell script
 curl -XPOST "http://localhost:9000/2015-03-31/functions/function/invocations" -d '{}'
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ platform-specific JAR by setting the `<classifier>`.
 <dependency>
     <groupId>com.amazonaws</groupId>
     <artifactId>aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client</artifactId>
-    <version>2.4.1</version>
+    <version>2.4.2</version>
     <classifier>linux-x86_64</classifier>
 </dependency>
 ```
diff --git a/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/RELEASE.CHANGELOG.md b/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/RELEASE.CHANGELOG.md
index 09a85363b..3d45d81f3 100644
--- a/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/RELEASE.CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/RELEASE.CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+### Februray 27, 2024
+`2.4.2`
+- Exceptions caught by the runtime are logged as ERROR in JSON mode
+
 ### September 4, 2023
 `2.4.1`
 - Null pointer bugfix ([#439](https://github.com/aws/aws-lambda-java-libs/pull/439))
diff --git a/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/pom.xml b/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/pom.xml
index fe299bdd1..e1b934685 100644
--- a/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/pom.xml
+++ b/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/pom.xml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <groupId>com.amazonaws</groupId>
     <artifactId>aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client</artifactId>
-    <version>2.4.1</version>
+    <version>2.4.2</version>
     <packaging>jar</packaging>
 
     <name>AWS Lambda Java Runtime Interface Client</name>
diff --git a/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/src/main/java/com/amazonaws/services/lambda/runtime/api/client/AWSLambda.java b/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/src/main/java/com/amazonaws/services/lambda/runtime/api/client/AWSLambda.java
index 1424de0cc..9c6c6435c 100644
--- a/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/src/main/java/com/amazonaws/services/lambda/runtime/api/client/AWSLambda.java
+++ b/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/src/main/java/com/amazonaws/services/lambda/runtime/api/client/AWSLambda.java
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ public static void main(String[] args) {
 
     private static void startRuntime(String handler) {
         try (LogSink logSink = createLogSink()) {
-            LambdaLogger logger = new LambdaContextLogger(
+            LambdaContextLogger logger = new LambdaContextLogger(
                     logSink,
                     LogLevel.fromString(LambdaEnvironment.LAMBDA_LOG_LEVEL),
                     LogFormat.fromString(LambdaEnvironment.LAMBDA_LOG_FORMAT)
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ private static void startRuntime(String handler) {
         }
     }
 
-    private static void startRuntime(String handler, LambdaLogger lambdaLogger) throws Throwable {
+    private static void startRuntime(String handler, LambdaContextLogger lambdaLogger) throws Throwable {
         UnsafeUtil.disableIllegalAccessWarning();
 
         System.setOut(new PrintStream(new LambdaOutputStream(System.out), false, "UTF-8"));
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ private static void startRuntime(String handler, LambdaLogger lambdaLogger) thro
         try {
             requestHandler = findRequestHandler(handler, customerClassLoader);
         } catch (UserFault userFault) {
-            lambdaLogger.log(userFault.reportableError());
+            lambdaLogger.log(userFault.reportableError(), lambdaLogger.getLogFormat() == LogFormat.JSON ? LogLevel.ERROR : LogLevel.UNDEFINED);
             reportInitError(new Failure(userFault), runtimeClient);
             System.exit(1);
             return;
@@ -265,13 +265,13 @@ private static void startRuntime(String handler, LambdaLogger lambdaLogger) thro
                         serializeAsXRayJson(t));
             } finally {
                 if (userFault != null) {
-                    lambdaLogger.log(userFault.reportableError());
+                    lambdaLogger.log(userFault.reportableError(), lambdaLogger.getLogFormat() == LogFormat.JSON ? LogLevel.ERROR : LogLevel.UNDEFINED);
                 }
             }
         }
     }
 
-    static void onInitComplete(final LambdaRuntimeClient runtimeClient, final LambdaLogger lambdaLogger) throws IOException {
+    static void onInitComplete(final LambdaRuntimeClient runtimeClient, final LambdaContextLogger lambdaLogger) throws IOException {
         try {
             Core.getGlobalContext().beforeCheckpoint(null);
             // Blocking call to RAPID /restore/next API, will return after taking snapshot.
@@ -292,10 +292,10 @@ static void onInitComplete(final LambdaRuntimeClient runtimeClient, final Lambda
         }
     }
 
-    private static void logExceptionCloudWatch(LambdaLogger lambdaLogger, Exception exc) {
+    private static void logExceptionCloudWatch(LambdaContextLogger lambdaLogger, Exception exc) {
         UserFault.filterStackTrace(exc);
         UserFault userFault = UserFault.makeUserFault(exc, true);
-        lambdaLogger.log(userFault.reportableError());
+        lambdaLogger.log(userFault.reportableError(), lambdaLogger.getLogFormat() == LogFormat.JSON ? LogLevel.ERROR : LogLevel.UNDEFINED);
     }
 
     static void reportInitError(final Failure failure,
diff --git a/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/src/main/java/com/amazonaws/services/lambda/runtime/api/client/logging/AbstractLambdaLogger.java b/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/src/main/java/com/amazonaws/services/lambda/runtime/api/client/logging/AbstractLambdaLogger.java
index 8246a3ad2..5d93be00f 100644
--- a/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/src/main/java/com/amazonaws/services/lambda/runtime/api/client/logging/AbstractLambdaLogger.java
+++ b/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/src/main/java/com/amazonaws/services/lambda/runtime/api/client/logging/AbstractLambdaLogger.java
@@ -65,4 +65,8 @@ public void log(byte[] message) {
     public void setLambdaContext(LambdaContext lambdaContext) {
         this.logFormatter.setLambdaContext(lambdaContext);
     }
+
+    public LogFormat getLogFormat() {
+        return logFormat;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/test/integration/test-handler/pom.xml b/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/test/integration/test-handler/pom.xml
index 028e92f56..25e562561 100644
--- a/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/test/integration/test-handler/pom.xml
+++ b/aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client/test/integration/test-handler/pom.xml
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
         <dependency>
             <groupId>com.amazonaws</groupId>
             <artifactId>aws-lambda-java-runtime-interface-client</artifactId>
-            <version>2.4.1</version>
+            <version>2.4.2</version>
         </dependency>
     </dependencies>