diff --git a/android/filament-utils-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/utils/ModelViewer.kt b/android/filament-utils-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/utils/ModelViewer.kt
index 076bd6357f..a82d6dc4ec 100644
--- a/android/filament-utils-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/utils/ModelViewer.kt
+++ b/android/filament-utils-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/utils/ModelViewer.kt
@@ -220,6 +220,7 @@ class ModelViewer(val engine: Engine) : android.view.View.OnTouchListener {
      */
     fun destroyModel() {
         fetchResourcesJob?.cancel()
+        resourceLoader.asyncCancelLoad()
         asset?.let { asset ->
             this.scene.removeEntities(asset.entities)
             assetLoader.destroyAsset(asset)
diff --git a/android/gltfio-android/src/main/cpp/ResourceLoader.cpp b/android/gltfio-android/src/main/cpp/ResourceLoader.cpp
index 8f4162f83d..0f84627103 100644
--- a/android/gltfio-android/src/main/cpp/ResourceLoader.cpp
+++ b/android/gltfio-android/src/main/cpp/ResourceLoader.cpp
@@ -99,3 +99,10 @@ Java_com_google_android_filament_gltfio_ResourceLoader_nAsyncUpdateLoad(JNIEnv*,
     ResourceLoader* loader = (ResourceLoader*) nativeLoader;
     loader->asyncUpdateLoad();
 }
+
+extern "C" JNIEXPORT void JNICALL
+Java_com_google_android_filament_gltfio_ResourceLoader_nAsyncCancelLoad(JNIEnv*, jclass,
+        jlong nativeLoader) {
+    ResourceLoader* loader = (ResourceLoader*) nativeLoader;
+    loader->asyncCancelLoad();
+}
diff --git a/android/gltfio-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/gltfio/ResourceLoader.java b/android/gltfio-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/gltfio/ResourceLoader.java
index 9d235a8542..d3c2ab2fae 100644
--- a/android/gltfio-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/gltfio/ResourceLoader.java
+++ b/android/gltfio-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/gltfio/ResourceLoader.java
@@ -146,6 +146,16 @@ public class ResourceLoader {
         nAsyncUpdateLoad(mNativeObject);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Cancels pending decoder jobs and frees all CPU-side texel data.
+     *
+     * Calling this is only necessary if the asyncBeginLoad API was used
+     * and cancellation is required before progress reaches 100%.
+     */
+    public void asyncCancelLoad() {
+        nAsyncCancelLoad(mNativeObject);
+    }
+
     private static native long nCreateResourceLoader(long nativeEngine,
             boolean normalizeSkinningWeights, boolean recomputeBoundingBoxes);
     private static native void nDestroyResourceLoader(long nativeLoader);
@@ -156,4 +166,5 @@ public class ResourceLoader {
     private static native boolean nAsyncBeginLoad(long nativeLoader, long nativeAsset);
     private static native float nAsyncGetLoadProgress(long nativeLoader);
     private static native void nAsyncUpdateLoad(long nativeLoader);
+    private static native void nAsyncCancelLoad(long nativeLoader);
 }
diff --git a/libs/gltfio/include/gltfio/ResourceLoader.h b/libs/gltfio/include/gltfio/ResourceLoader.h
index a82e8d62d0..bb36a3a7d8 100644
--- a/libs/gltfio/include/gltfio/ResourceLoader.h
+++ b/libs/gltfio/include/gltfio/ResourceLoader.h
@@ -130,6 +130,14 @@ public:
      */
     void asyncUpdateLoad();
 
+    /**
+     * Cancels pending decoder jobs and frees all CPU-side texel data.
+     *
+     * Calling this is only necessary if the asyncBeginLoad API was used
+     * and cancellation is required before progress reaches 100%.
+     */
+    void asyncCancelLoad();
+
 private:
     bool loadResources(FFilamentAsset* asset, bool async);
     void applySparseData(FFilamentAsset* asset) const;
diff --git a/libs/gltfio/src/ResourceLoader.cpp b/libs/gltfio/src/ResourceLoader.cpp
index 1a8342b400..4a54a6e9aa 100644
--- a/libs/gltfio/src/ResourceLoader.cpp
+++ b/libs/gltfio/src/ResourceLoader.cpp
@@ -104,10 +104,12 @@ struct ResourceLoader::Impl {
 
     void computeTangents(FFilamentAsset* asset);
     bool createTextures(bool async);
+    void cancelTextureDecoding();
     void addTextureCacheEntry(const TextureSlot& tb);
     void bindTextureToMaterial(const TextureSlot& tb);
     void decodeSingleTexture();
     void uploadPendingTextures();
+    void releasePendingTextures();
     ~Impl();
 };
 
@@ -450,6 +452,10 @@ bool ResourceLoader::asyncBeginLoad(FilamentAsset* asset) {
     return loadResources(upcast(asset), true);
 }
 
+void ResourceLoader::asyncCancelLoad() {
+    pImpl->cancelTextureDecoding();
+}
+
 float ResourceLoader::asyncGetLoadProgress() const {
     const float finished = pImpl->mNumDecoderTasksFinished;
     const float total = pImpl->mNumDecoderTasks;
@@ -527,6 +533,20 @@ void ResourceLoader::Impl::uploadPendingTextures() {
     for (auto& pair : mUriTextureCache) upload(pair.second.get(), *mEngine);
 }
 
+void ResourceLoader::Impl::releasePendingTextures() {
+    auto release = [this](TextureCacheEntry* entry, Engine& engine) {
+        Texture* texture = entry->texture;
+        uint8_t* texels = entry->texels;
+        if (texture && texels && !entry->completed) {
+            // Normally the ownership of these texels is transferred to PixelBufferDescriptor, but
+            // if uploads have been cancelled then we need to free them explicitly.
+            free(texels);
+        }
+    };
+    for (auto& pair : mBufferTextureCache) release(pair.second.get(), *mEngine);
+    for (auto& pair : mUriTextureCache) release(pair.second.get(), *mEngine);
+}
+
 void ResourceLoader::Impl::addTextureCacheEntry(const TextureSlot& tb) {
     TextureCacheEntry* entry = nullptr;
 
@@ -602,6 +622,19 @@ void ResourceLoader::Impl::bindTextureToMaterial(const TextureSlot& tb) {
         asset->bindTexture(tb, entry->texture);
     }
 }
+void ResourceLoader::Impl::cancelTextureDecoding() {
+    JobSystem* js = &mEngine->getJobSystem();
+    if (mDecoderRootJob) {
+        js->waitAndRelease(mDecoderRootJob);
+        mDecoderRootJob = nullptr;
+    }
+    releasePendingTextures();
+    mBufferTextureCache.clear();
+    mUriTextureCache.clear();
+    mCurrentAsset = nullptr;
+    mNumDecoderTasksFinished = 0;
+    mNumDecoderTasks = 0;
+}
 
 bool ResourceLoader::Impl::createTextures(bool async) {
     // If any decoding jobs are still underway, wait for them to finish.