diff --git a/asterix-app/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/api/http/servlet/APIServlet.java b/asterix-app/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/api/http/servlet/APIServlet.java
index 15b959e..cf2b54c 100644
--- a/asterix-app/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/api/http/servlet/APIServlet.java
+++ b/asterix-app/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/api/http/servlet/APIServlet.java
@@ -98,16 +98,17 @@
                 out.println("</PRE>");
             }
         } catch (ParseException pe) {
-            String message = pe.getMessage();
-            message = message.replace("<", "&lt");
-            message = message.replace(">", "&gt");
-            int pos = message.indexOf("line");
-            int columnPos = message.indexOf(",", pos + 1 + "line".length());
-            int lineNo = Integer.parseInt(message.substring(pos + "line".length() + 1, columnPos));
-            String line = query.split("\n")[lineNo - 1];
-            out.println("SyntaxError:" + message);
-            out.println("==> " + line);
-
+        	String message = pe.getMessage();
+        	message = message.replace("<", "&lt");
+        	message = message.replace(">", "&gt");
+        	out.println("SyntaxError:" + message);
+        	int pos = message.indexOf("line");
+        	if (pos > 0) {
+        		int columnPos = message.indexOf(",", pos + 1 + "line".length());
+        		int lineNo = Integer.parseInt(message.substring(pos + "line".length() + 1, columnPos));
+        		String line = query.split("\n")[lineNo - 1];            
+        		out.println("==> " + line);
+        	}
         } catch (Exception e) {
             out.println(e.getMessage());
        }