diff --git a/packages/react-native/Libraries/Image/RCTImageLoader.mm b/packages/react-native/Libraries/Image/RCTImageLoader.mm
index dac4ecc5fe40ac..d6db050e35c36e 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/Libraries/Image/RCTImageLoader.mm
+++ b/packages/react-native/Libraries/Image/RCTImageLoader.mm
@@ -840,7 +840,9 @@ - (RCTImageURLLoaderRequest *)loadImageWithURLRequest:(NSURLRequest *)imageURLRe
                                                                    progressBlock:progressBlock
                                                                 partialLoadBlock:partialLoadBlock
                                                                  completionBlock:completionHandler];
+  [cancelLoadLock lock];
   cancelLoad = loaderRequest.cancellationBlock;
+  [cancelLoadLock unlock];
   return [[RCTImageURLLoaderRequest alloc] initWithRequestId:loaderRequest.requestId
                                                     imageURL:imageURLRequest.URL
                                            cancellationBlock:cancellationBlock];