diff --git a/interface/src/Application.cpp b/interface/src/Application.cpp
index 7e02a29813..53fdb0d79c 100644
--- a/interface/src/Application.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/Application.cpp
@@ -685,6 +685,10 @@ Application::~Application() {
     // stop the glWidget frame timer so it doesn't call paintGL
     _glWidget->stopFrameTimer();
 
+    // remove avatars from physics engine
+    DependencyManager::get<AvatarManager>()->clearOtherAvatars();
+    _physicsEngine.deleteObjects(DependencyManager::get<AvatarManager>()->getObjectsToDelete());
+
     DependencyManager::destroy<OffscreenUi>();
     DependencyManager::destroy<AvatarManager>();
     DependencyManager::destroy<AnimationCache>();
diff --git a/interface/src/avatar/AvatarManager.cpp b/interface/src/avatar/AvatarManager.cpp
index 0de9f06742..3c8aad3f5d 100644
--- a/interface/src/avatar/AvatarManager.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/avatar/AvatarManager.cpp
@@ -177,21 +177,26 @@ AvatarSharedPointer AvatarManager::addAvatar(const QUuid& sessionUUID, const QWe
     return avatar;
 }
 
+// protected
+void AvatarManager::removeAvatarMotionState(Avatar* avatar) {
+    AvatarMotionState* motionState= avatar->_motionState;
+    if (motionState) {
+        // clean up physics stuff
+        motionState->clearObjectBackPointer();
+        avatar->_motionState = nullptr;
+        _avatarMotionStates.remove(motionState);
+        _motionStatesToAdd.remove(motionState);
+        _motionStatesToDelete.push_back(motionState);
+    }
+}
+
 // virtual 
 void AvatarManager::removeAvatar(const QUuid& sessionUUID) {
     AvatarHash::iterator avatarIterator = _avatarHash.find(sessionUUID);
     if (avatarIterator != _avatarHash.end()) {
         Avatar* avatar = reinterpret_cast<Avatar*>(avatarIterator.value().data());
         if (avatar != _myAvatar && avatar->isInitialized()) {
-            AvatarMotionState* motionState= avatar->_motionState;
-            if (motionState) {
-                // clean up physics stuff
-                motionState->clearObjectBackPointer();
-                avatar->_motionState = nullptr;
-                _avatarMotionStates.remove(motionState);
-                _motionStatesToAdd.remove(motionState);
-                _motionStatesToDelete.push_back(motionState);
-            }
+            removeAvatarMotionState(avatar);
 
             _avatarFades.push_back(avatarIterator.value());
             _avatarHash.erase(avatarIterator);
@@ -208,6 +213,7 @@ void AvatarManager::clearOtherAvatars() {
             // don't remove myAvatar or uninitialized avatars from the list
             ++avatarIterator;
         } else {
+            removeAvatarMotionState(avatar);
             _avatarFades.push_back(avatarIterator.value());
             avatarIterator = _avatarHash.erase(avatarIterator);
         }
@@ -260,9 +266,11 @@ VectorOfMotionStates& AvatarManager::getObjectsToChange() {
 }
 
 void AvatarManager::handleOutgoingChanges(VectorOfMotionStates& motionStates) {
+    // TODO: extract the MyAvatar results once we use a MotionState for it.
 }
 
 void AvatarManager::handleCollisionEvents(CollisionEvents& collisionEvents) {
+    // TODO: expose avatar collision events to JS
 }
 
 void AvatarManager::updateAvatarPhysicsShape(const QUuid& id) {
diff --git a/interface/src/avatar/AvatarManager.h b/interface/src/avatar/AvatarManager.h
index 5f22d5c194..51eb3a8ec2 100644
--- a/interface/src/avatar/AvatarManager.h
+++ b/interface/src/avatar/AvatarManager.h
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ private:
     // virtual overrides
     virtual AvatarSharedPointer newSharedAvatar();
     virtual AvatarSharedPointer addAvatar(const QUuid& sessionUUID, const QWeakPointer<Node>& mixerWeakPointer);
+    void removeAvatarMotionState(Avatar* avatar);
     virtual void removeAvatar(const QUuid& sessionUUID);
     
     QVector<AvatarSharedPointer> _avatarFades;
diff --git a/interface/src/avatar/AvatarMotionState.cpp b/interface/src/avatar/AvatarMotionState.cpp
index 2abf872762..622d9061a0 100644
--- a/interface/src/avatar/AvatarMotionState.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/avatar/AvatarMotionState.cpp
@@ -57,8 +57,10 @@ void AvatarMotionState::getWorldTransform(btTransform& worldTrans) const {
     }
     worldTrans.setOrigin(glmToBullet(getObjectPosition()));
     worldTrans.setRotation(glmToBullet(getObjectRotation()));
-    _body->setLinearVelocity(glmToBullet(getObjectLinearVelocity()));
-    _body->setAngularVelocity(glmToBullet(getObjectLinearVelocity()));
+    if (_body) {
+        _body->setLinearVelocity(glmToBullet(getObjectLinearVelocity()));
+        _body->setAngularVelocity(glmToBullet(getObjectLinearVelocity()));
+    }
 }
 
 // virtual 
diff --git a/interface/src/avatar/SkeletonModel.cpp b/interface/src/avatar/SkeletonModel.cpp
index 8c52c79ca0..e2f4ca51a0 100644
--- a/interface/src/avatar/SkeletonModel.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/avatar/SkeletonModel.cpp
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ SkeletonModel::SkeletonModel(Avatar* owningAvatar, QObject* parent) :
     _headClipDistance(DEFAULT_NEAR_CLIP)
 {
     assert(_owningAvatar);
+    _enableShapes = true;
 }
 
 SkeletonModel::~SkeletonModel() {