diff --git a/packages/react-native/src/private/webapis/intersectionobserver/IntersectionObserver.js b/packages/react-native/src/private/webapis/intersectionobserver/IntersectionObserver.js
index 30a56756d46..1783adbc167 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/src/private/webapis/intersectionobserver/IntersectionObserver.js
+++ b/packages/react-native/src/private/webapis/intersectionobserver/IntersectionObserver.js
@@ -141,12 +141,14 @@ export default class IntersectionObserver {
       return;
     }
 
-    IntersectionObserverManager.observe({
+    const didStartObserving = IntersectionObserverManager.observe({
       intersectionObserverId: this._getOrCreateIntersectionObserverId(),
       target,
     });
 
-    this._observationTargets.add(target);
+    if (didStartObserving) {
+      this._observationTargets.add(target);
+    }
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/packages/react-native/src/private/webapis/intersectionobserver/IntersectionObserverManager.js b/packages/react-native/src/private/webapis/intersectionobserver/IntersectionObserverManager.js
index e15df994e35..d2d0067323c 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/src/private/webapis/intersectionobserver/IntersectionObserverManager.js
+++ b/packages/react-native/src/private/webapis/intersectionobserver/IntersectionObserverManager.js
@@ -116,10 +116,10 @@ export function observe({
 }: {
   intersectionObserverId: IntersectionObserverId,
   target: ReactNativeElement,
-}): void {
+}): boolean {
   if (NativeIntersectionObserver == null) {
     warnNoNativeIntersectionObserver();
-    return;
+    return false;
   }
 
   const registeredObserver = registeredIntersectionObservers.get(
@@ -129,15 +129,13 @@ export function observe({
     console.error(
       `IntersectionObserverManager: could not start observing target because IntersectionObserver with ID ${intersectionObserverId} was not registered.`,
     );
-    return;
+    return false;
   }
 
   const targetShadowNode = getShadowNode(target);
   if (targetShadowNode == null) {
-    console.error(
-      'IntersectionObserverManager: could not find reference to host node from target',
-    );
-    return;
+    // The target is disconnected. We can't observe it anymore.
+    return false;
   }
 
   const instanceHandle = getInstanceHandle(target);
@@ -145,7 +143,7 @@ export function observe({
     console.error(
       'IntersectionObserverManager: could not find reference to instance handle from target',
     );
-    return;
+    return false;
   }
 
   // Store the mapping between the instance handle and the target so we can
@@ -160,11 +158,13 @@ export function observe({
     isConnected = true;
   }
 
-  return NativeIntersectionObserver.observe({
+  NativeIntersectionObserver.observe({
     intersectionObserverId,
     targetShadowNode,
     thresholds: registeredObserver.observer.thresholds,
   });
+
+  return true;
 }
 
 export function unobserve(