diff --git a/packages/react-native/ReactAndroid/src/main/jni/react/fabric/Binding.cpp b/packages/react-native/ReactAndroid/src/main/jni/react/fabric/Binding.cpp
index 6cb64b8049a..d87d4dcfd32 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/ReactAndroid/src/main/jni/react/fabric/Binding.cpp
+++ b/packages/react-native/ReactAndroid/src/main/jni/react/fabric/Binding.cpp
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@
 #include "EventEmitterWrapper.h"
 #include "FabricMountingManager.h"
 #include "ReactNativeConfigHolder.h"
-#include "SurfaceHandlerBinding.h"
 
 #include <cxxreact/SystraceSection.h>
 #include <fbjni/fbjni.h>
@@ -111,8 +110,20 @@ void Binding::reportMount(SurfaceId surfaceId) {
     std::shared_lock lock(surfaceHandlerRegistryMutex_);
     auto iterator = surfaceHandlerRegistry_.find(surfaceId);
     if (iterator != surfaceHandlerRegistry_.end()) {
-      auto& surfaceHandler = iterator->second;
-      surfaceHandler.getMountingCoordinator()->didPerformAsyncTransactions();
+      const auto* surfaceHandler =
+          std::get_if<SurfaceHandler>(&iterator->second);
+      if (surfaceHandler == nullptr) {
+        auto javaSurfaceHandler =
+            std::get<jni::weak_ref<SurfaceHandlerBinding::jhybridobject>>(
+                iterator->second)
+                .lockLocal();
+        if (javaSurfaceHandler) {
+          surfaceHandler = &javaSurfaceHandler->cthis()->getSurfaceHandler();
+        }
+      }
+      if (surfaceHandler != nullptr) {
+        surfaceHandler->getMountingCoordinator()->didPerformAsyncTransactions();
+      }
     } else {
       LOG(ERROR) << "Binding::reportMount: Surface with id " << surfaceId
                  << " is not found";
@@ -258,16 +269,19 @@ void Binding::stopSurface(jint surfaceId) {
     std::unique_lock lock(surfaceHandlerRegistryMutex_);
 
     auto iterator = surfaceHandlerRegistry_.find(surfaceId);
-
     if (iterator == surfaceHandlerRegistry_.end()) {
       LOG(ERROR) << "Binding::stopSurface: Surface with given id is not found";
       return;
     }
 
-    auto surfaceHandler = std::move(iterator->second);
+    auto* surfaceHandler = std::get_if<SurfaceHandler>(&iterator->second);
+    if (surfaceHandler != nullptr) {
+      surfaceHandler->stop();
+      scheduler->unregisterSurface(*surfaceHandler);
+    } else {
+      LOG(ERROR) << "Java-owned SurfaceHandler found in stopSurface";
+    }
     surfaceHandlerRegistry_.erase(iterator);
-    surfaceHandler.stop();
-    scheduler->unregisterSurface(surfaceHandler);
   }
 
   auto mountingManager = getMountingManager("stopSurface");
@@ -277,8 +291,12 @@ void Binding::stopSurface(jint surfaceId) {
   mountingManager->onSurfaceStop(surfaceId);
 }
 
-void Binding::registerSurface(SurfaceHandlerBinding* surfaceHandlerBinding) {
-  const auto& surfaceHandler = surfaceHandlerBinding->getSurfaceHandler();
+void Binding::registerSurface(
+    jni::alias_ref<SurfaceHandlerBinding::jhybridobject>
+        surfaceHandlerBinding) {
+  const auto& surfaceHandler =
+      surfaceHandlerBinding->cthis()->getSurfaceHandler();
+
   auto scheduler = getScheduler();
   if (!scheduler) {
     LOG(ERROR) << "Binding::registerSurface: scheduler disappeared";
@@ -286,6 +304,12 @@ void Binding::registerSurface(SurfaceHandlerBinding* surfaceHandlerBinding) {
   }
   scheduler->registerSurface(surfaceHandler);
 
+  {
+    std::unique_lock lock(surfaceHandlerRegistryMutex_);
+    surfaceHandlerRegistry_.emplace(
+        surfaceHandler.getSurfaceId(), jni::make_weak(surfaceHandlerBinding));
+  }
+
   auto mountingManager = getMountingManager("registerSurface");
   if (!mountingManager) {
     return;
@@ -293,8 +317,11 @@ void Binding::registerSurface(SurfaceHandlerBinding* surfaceHandlerBinding) {
   mountingManager->onSurfaceStart(surfaceHandler.getSurfaceId());
 }
 
-void Binding::unregisterSurface(SurfaceHandlerBinding* surfaceHandlerBinding) {
-  const auto& surfaceHandler = surfaceHandlerBinding->getSurfaceHandler();
+void Binding::unregisterSurface(
+    jni::alias_ref<SurfaceHandlerBinding::jhybridobject>
+        surfaceHandlerBinding) {
+  const auto& surfaceHandler =
+      surfaceHandlerBinding->cthis()->getSurfaceHandler();
   auto scheduler = getScheduler();
   if (!scheduler) {
     LOG(ERROR) << "Binding::unregisterSurface: scheduler disappeared";
@@ -302,6 +329,11 @@ void Binding::unregisterSurface(SurfaceHandlerBinding* surfaceHandlerBinding) {
   }
   scheduler->unregisterSurface(surfaceHandler);
 
+  {
+    std::unique_lock lock(surfaceHandlerRegistryMutex_);
+    surfaceHandlerRegistry_.erase(surfaceHandler.getSurfaceId());
+  }
+
   auto mountingManager = getMountingManager("unregisterSurface");
   if (!mountingManager) {
     return;
@@ -347,15 +379,15 @@ void Binding::setConstraints(
     std::shared_lock lock(surfaceHandlerRegistryMutex_);
 
     auto iterator = surfaceHandlerRegistry_.find(surfaceId);
-
     if (iterator == surfaceHandlerRegistry_.end()) {
       LOG(ERROR)
           << "Binding::setConstraints: Surface with given id is not found";
       return;
     }
-
-    auto& surfaceHandler = iterator->second;
-    surfaceHandler.constraintLayout(constraints, context);
+    auto* surfaceHandler = std::get_if<SurfaceHandler>(&iterator->second);
+    if (surfaceHandler != nullptr) {
+      surfaceHandler->constraintLayout(constraints, context);
+    }
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/react-native/ReactAndroid/src/main/jni/react/fabric/Binding.h b/packages/react-native/ReactAndroid/src/main/jni/react/fabric/Binding.h
index 17c09e46d9b..22ad8ae3a03 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/ReactAndroid/src/main/jni/react/fabric/Binding.h
+++ b/packages/react-native/ReactAndroid/src/main/jni/react/fabric/Binding.h
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 
 #include "EventEmitterWrapper.h"
 #include "JFabricUIManager.h"
+#include "SurfaceHandlerBinding.h"
 
 namespace facebook::react {
 
@@ -33,7 +34,6 @@ class Instance;
 class LayoutAnimationDriver;
 class ReactNativeConfig;
 class Scheduler;
-class SurfaceHandlerBinding;
 
 struct JBinding : public jni::JavaClass<JBinding> {
   constexpr static auto kJavaDescriptor = "Lcom/facebook/react/fabric/Binding;";
@@ -95,9 +95,11 @@ class Binding : public jni::HybridClass<Binding, JBinding>,
 
   void stopSurface(jint surfaceId);
 
-  void registerSurface(SurfaceHandlerBinding* surfaceHandler);
+  void registerSurface(
+      jni::alias_ref<SurfaceHandlerBinding::jhybridobject> surfaceHandler);
 
-  void unregisterSurface(SurfaceHandlerBinding* surfaceHandler);
+  void unregisterSurface(
+      jni::alias_ref<SurfaceHandlerBinding::jhybridobject> surfaceHandler);
 
   void schedulerDidFinishTransaction(
       const MountingCoordinator::Shared& mountingCoordinator) override;
@@ -148,7 +150,15 @@ class Binding : public jni::HybridClass<Binding, JBinding>,
 
   BackgroundExecutor backgroundExecutor_;
 
-  std::unordered_map<SurfaceId, SurfaceHandler> surfaceHandlerRegistry_{};
+  // Roots not created through ReactSurface (non-bridgeless) will store their
+  // SurfaceHandler here, for other roots we keep a weak reference to the Java
+  // owner
+  std::unordered_map<
+      SurfaceId,
+      std::variant<
+          SurfaceHandler,
+          jni::weak_ref<SurfaceHandlerBinding::jhybridobject>>>
+      surfaceHandlerRegistry_{};
   std::shared_mutex
       surfaceHandlerRegistryMutex_; // Protects `surfaceHandlerRegistry_`.