diff --git a/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/BooleanExpressionComplexityCheck.java b/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/BooleanExpressionComplexityCheck.java
index 19c3c48d7..16b41658d 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/BooleanExpressionComplexityCheck.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/BooleanExpressionComplexityCheck.java
@@ -125,10 +125,14 @@ public final class BooleanExpressionComplexityCheck extends Check
             case TokenTypes.EXPR:
                 visitExpr();
                 break;
+            case TokenTypes.BOR:
+                if (!isPipeOperator(ast)) {
+                    context.visitBooleanOperator();
+                }
+                break;
             case TokenTypes.LAND:
             case TokenTypes.BAND:
             case TokenTypes.LOR:
-            case TokenTypes.BOR:
             case TokenTypes.BXOR:
                 context.visitBooleanOperator();
                 break;
@@ -137,6 +141,19 @@ public final class BooleanExpressionComplexityCheck extends Check
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Checks if {@link TokenTypes#BOR binary OR} is applied to exceptions
+     * in
+     * <a href="http://docs.oracle.com/javase/specs/jls/se8/html/jls-14.html#jls-14.20">
+     * multi-catch</a> (pipe-syntax).
+     * @param binaryOr {@link TokenTypes#BOR binary or}
+     * @return true if binary or is applied to exceptions in multi-catch.
+     */
+    private static boolean isPipeOperator(DetailAST binaryOr)
+    {
+        return binaryOr.getParent().getType() == TokenTypes.TYPE;
+    }
+
     @Override
     public void leaveToken(DetailAST ast)
     {
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/BooleanExpressionComplexityCheckTest.java b/src/test/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/BooleanExpressionComplexityCheckTest.java
index 60af6b44c..0749b910d 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/BooleanExpressionComplexityCheckTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/BooleanExpressionComplexityCheckTest.java
@@ -55,4 +55,16 @@ public class BooleanExpressionComplexityCheckTest extends BaseCheckTestSupport
 
         verify(checkConfig, getPath("metrics" + File.separator + "BooleanExpressionComplexityCheckTestInput.java"), expected);
     }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testNPE() throws Exception
+    {
+        DefaultConfiguration checkConfig =
+            createCheckConfig(BooleanExpressionComplexityCheck.class);
+
+        String[] expected = {
+        };
+
+        verify(checkConfig, getPath("metrics" + File.separator + "InputBooleanExpressionComplexityNPE.java"), expected);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/test/resources/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/metrics/InputBooleanExpressionComplexityNPE.java b/src/test/resources/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/metrics/InputBooleanExpressionComplexityNPE.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6ca72ffe7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/resources/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/metrics/InputBooleanExpressionComplexityNPE.java
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+package com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.metrics;
+
+public class InputBooleanExpressionComplexityNPE
+{
+    static {
+        try {
+            System.out.println("a");
+        } catch (IllegalStateException | IllegalArgumentException e) {
+            throw new RuntimeException(e);
+        }
+    }
+}