NullReferenceException in NpmLockfileDetectorBase

[gbtec-georgs]

given a package-lock.json file
and the package-lock.json file does not contain a dependencies object.
when I run the component-detection.exe (4.9.6+build.130.1d1e13bfa74ff8a3becf4dcd71954a750e1f7bc7)
then component detection succeeds
however, I get the following scary error in the output:

Could not parse Jtokens from <some-path>\package-lock.json file.
System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at Microsoft.ComponentDetection.Detectors.Npm.NpmLockfileDetectorBase.ProcessIndividualPackageJTokens(ISingleFileComponentRecorder singleFileComponentRecorder, JToken packageLockJToken, IEnumerable`1 packageJsonComponentStream, Boolean skipValidation)
   at Microsoft.ComponentDetection.Detectors.Npm.NpmLockfileDetectorBase.<>c__DisplayClass25_0.<OnFileFoundAsync>b__3(JToken token)
   at Microsoft.ComponentDetection.Detectors.Npm.NpmLockfileDetectorBase.ProcessAllPackageJTokensAsync(IComponentStream componentStream, JTokenProcessingDelegate jtokenProcessor)
   at Microsoft.ComponentDetection.Detectors.Npm.NpmLockfileDetectorBase.SafeProcessAllPackageJTokensAsync(IComponentStream componentStream, JTokenProcessingDelegate jtokenProcessor)