diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/api/http/server/QueryServiceServlet.java b/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/api/http/server/QueryServiceServlet.java
index fce9365..7c42e5c 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/api/http/server/QueryServiceServlet.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/api/http/server/QueryServiceServlet.java
@@ -532,9 +532,7 @@
                 printSignature(sessionOutput.out(), param);
             }
             printType(sessionOutput.out(), sessionOutput.config());
-            if (param.getStatement() == null || param.getStatement().isEmpty()) {
-                throw new RuntimeDataException(ErrorCode.NO_STATEMENT_PROVIDED);
-            }
+            validateStatement(param.getStatement());
             String statementsText = param.getStatement() + ";";
             if (param.isParseOnly()) {
                 ResultUtil.ParseOnlyResult parseOnlyResult = parseStatement(statementsText);
@@ -577,6 +575,12 @@
         }
     }
 
+    protected void validateStatement(String statement) throws RuntimeDataException {
+        if (statement == null || statement.isEmpty()) {
+            throw new RuntimeDataException(ErrorCode.NO_STATEMENT_PROVIDED);
+        }
+    }
+
     protected ResultUtil.ParseOnlyResult parseStatement(String statementsText) throws CompilationException {
         IParserFactory factory = compilationProvider.getParserFactory();
         IParser parser = factory.createParser(statementsText);
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/java/org/apache/asterix/test/common/TestExecutor.java b/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/java/org/apache/asterix/test/common/TestExecutor.java
index 3aa8807..4766639 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/java/org/apache/asterix/test/common/TestExecutor.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/java/org/apache/asterix/test/common/TestExecutor.java
@@ -234,6 +234,17 @@
             } else if (actualFile.toString().endsWith(".regexadm")) {
                 runScriptAndCompareWithResultRegexAdm(scriptFile, expectedFile, actualFile);
                 return;
+            } else if (actualFile.toString().endsWith(".regexjson")) {
+                ObjectMapper OM = new ObjectMapper();
+                JsonNode expectedJson = OM.readTree(readerExpected);
+                JsonNode actualJson = OM.readTree(readerActual);
+                if (expectedJson == null || actualJson == null) {
+                    throw new NullPointerException("Error parsing expected or actual result file for " + scriptFile);
+                }
+                if (!TestHelper.equalJson(expectedJson, actualJson)) {
+                    throw new ComparisonException("Result for " + scriptFile + " didn't match the expected JSON");
+                }
+                return;
             }
             String lineExpected, lineActual;
             int num = 1;
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/java/org/apache/asterix/test/common/TestHelper.java b/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/java/org/apache/asterix/test/common/TestHelper.java
index a7a7fce..53ee9c2 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/java/org/apache/asterix/test/common/TestHelper.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/java/org/apache/asterix/test/common/TestHelper.java
@@ -23,9 +23,11 @@
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.InputStream;
 import java.io.OutputStream;
+import java.util.BitSet;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.Enumeration;
 import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.zip.ZipEntry;
@@ -44,6 +46,8 @@
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.MapperFeature;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.SerializationFeature;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.node.ArrayNode;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.node.ObjectNode;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.node.TextNode;
 
 public final class TestHelper {
@@ -137,6 +141,76 @@
         return RequestParameters.deserializeParameterValues(RequestParameters.serializeParameterValues(stmtParams));
     }
 
+    public static boolean equalJson(JsonNode expectedJson, JsonNode actualJson) {
+        if (expectedJson == actualJson) {
+            return true;
+        }
+        // exactly one is null
+        if (expectedJson == null || actualJson == null) {
+            return false;
+        }
+        // both are not null
+        if (!isRegexField(expectedJson) && expectedJson.getNodeType() != actualJson.getNodeType()) {
+            return false;
+        } else if (expectedJson.isArray() && actualJson.isArray()) {
+            ArrayNode expectedArray = (ArrayNode) expectedJson;
+            ArrayNode actualArray = (ArrayNode) actualJson;
+            if (expectedArray.size() != actualArray.size()) {
+                return false;
+            }
+            boolean found;
+            BitSet alreadyMatched = new BitSet(actualArray.size());
+            for (int i = 0; i < expectedArray.size(); i++) {
+                found = false;
+                for (int k = 0; k < actualArray.size(); k++) {
+                    if (!alreadyMatched.get(k) && equalJson(expectedArray.get(i), actualArray.get(k))) {
+                        alreadyMatched.set(k);
+                        found = true;
+                        break;
+                    }
+                }
+                if (!found) {
+                    return false;
+                }
+            }
+            return true;
+        } else if (expectedJson.isObject() && actualJson.isObject()) {
+            // assumes no duplicates in field names
+            ObjectNode expectedObject = (ObjectNode) expectedJson;
+            ObjectNode actualObject = (ObjectNode) actualJson;
+            if (expectedObject.size() != actualObject.size()) {
+                return false;
+            }
+            Iterator<Map.Entry<String, JsonNode>> expectedFields = expectedObject.fields();
+            Map.Entry<String, JsonNode> expectedField;
+            JsonNode actualFieldValue;
+            while (expectedFields.hasNext()) {
+                expectedField = expectedFields.next();
+                actualFieldValue = actualObject.get(expectedField.getKey());
+                if (actualFieldValue == null || !equalJson(expectedField.getValue(), actualFieldValue)) {
+                    return false;
+                }
+            }
+            return true;
+        }
+        // value node
+        String expectedAsString = expectedJson.asText();
+        String actualAsString = actualJson.asText();
+        if (expectedAsString.startsWith("R{")) {
+            expectedAsString = expectedAsString.substring(2, expectedAsString.length() - 1);
+            return actualAsString.matches(expectedAsString);
+        }
+        return expectedAsString.equals(actualAsString);
+    }
+
+    private static boolean isRegexField(JsonNode expectedJson) {
+        if (expectedJson.isTextual()) {
+            String regexValue = expectedJson.asText();
+            return regexValue.startsWith("R{");
+        }
+        return false;
+    }
+
     private static ObjectMapper createObjectMapper() {
         ObjectMapper objectMapper = new ObjectMapper();
         objectMapper.enable(SerializationFeature.INDENT_OUTPUT);