diff --git a/posthog/api/capture.py b/posthog/api/capture.py
index ace060f3611..5efbe373e6e 100644
--- a/posthog/api/capture.py
+++ b/posthog/api/capture.py
@@ -52,9 +52,12 @@ def _alias(distinct_id: str, new_distinct_id: str, team: Team):
         # That can either mean `person` already has that distinct_id, in which case we do nothing
         # OR it means there is _another_ Person with that distinct _id, in which case we want to remove that person
         # and add that distinct ID to `person`
-        deletion = Person.objects.filter(persondistinctid__distinct_id=new_distinct_id).exclude(pk=person.id).delete()
-        if deletion[0] > 0:
+        previous_person = Person.objects.filter(persondistinctid__distinct_id=new_distinct_id).exclude(pk=person.id)
+        if previous_person.exists():
+            person.properties.update(previous_person.first().properties) # type: ignore
+            previous_person.delete()
             person.add_distinct_id(new_distinct_id)
+            person.save()
 
 def _capture(request, team: Team, event: str, distinct_id: str, properties: Dict, timestamp: Optional[str]=None) -> None:
     elements = properties.get('$elements')
@@ -90,7 +93,7 @@ def _capture(request, team: Team, event: str, distinct_id: str, properties: Dict
     except IntegrityError: 
         pass # person already exists, which is fine
 
-def _engage(team: Team, distinct_id: str, properties: Dict):
+def _update_person_properties(team: Team, distinct_id: str, properties: Dict):
     try:
         person = Person.objects.get(team=team, persondistinctid__distinct_id=str(distinct_id))
     except Person.DoesNotExist:
@@ -169,10 +172,10 @@ def get_engage(request):
     if isinstance(data, list):
         for i in data:
             if i.get('$set'):
-                _engage(distinct_id=i['$distinct_id'], properties=i['$set'], team=team)
+                _update_person_properties(distinct_id=i['$distinct_id'], properties=i['$set'], team=team)
     else:
         if data.get('$set'):
-            _engage(distinct_id=data['$distinct_id'], properties=data['$set'], team=team)
+            _update_person_properties(distinct_id=data['$distinct_id'], properties=data['$set'], team=team)
 
     return cors_response(request, JsonResponse({'status': 1}))
 
@@ -205,7 +208,7 @@ def batch(request):
                 timestamp=data.get('timestamp', None)
             )
         elif data['type'] == 'identify':
-            _engage(
+            _update_person_properties(
                 distinct_id=data['distinct_id'],
                 properties=data['$set'],
                 team=team
diff --git a/posthog/api/test/test_capture.py b/posthog/api/test/test_capture.py
index 6e327262f67..7eaeeb74acb 100644
--- a/posthog/api/test/test_capture.py
+++ b/posthog/api/test/test_capture.py
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ class TestCapture(BaseTest):
 
 class TestAlias(TransactionTestCase):
     def _create_user(self, email, **kwargs) -> User:
-        user = User.objects.create_user(email, **kwargs)
+        user: User = User.objects.create_user(email, **kwargs)
         if not hasattr(self, 'team'):
             self.team: Team = Team.objects.create(api_token='token123')
         self.team.users.add(user)
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ class TestAlias(TransactionTestCase):
     def test_distinct_with_anonymous_id_which_was_already_created(self):
         user = self._create_user('tim@something')
         Person.objects.create(team=self.team, distinct_ids=['anonymous_id'])
-        Person.objects.create(team=self.team, distinct_ids=['new_distinct_id'])
+        Person.objects.create(team=self.team, distinct_ids=['new_distinct_id'], properties={'email': 'someone@gmail.com'})
 
         response = self.client.get('/e/?data=%s' % json.dumps({
             'event': '$identify',
@@ -213,7 +213,9 @@ class TestAlias(TransactionTestCase):
         }), content_type='application/json', HTTP_REFERER='https://localhost')
 
         # self.assertEqual(Event.objects.count(), 0)
-        self.assertEqual(Person.objects.get().distinct_ids, ["anonymous_id", "new_distinct_id"])
+        person = Person.objects.get()
+        self.assertEqual(person.distinct_ids, ["anonymous_id", "new_distinct_id"])
+        self.assertEqual(person.properties['email'], 'someone@gmail.com')
 
 
 class TestBatch(BaseTest):
@@ -240,8 +242,11 @@ class TestBatch(BaseTest):
                     "library": "posthog-python",
                     "library_version": "1.3.0b1",
                     "distinct_id":"test_id",
-                    "type":"capture",
-                    "event":"user did something else",
+                    "type":"identify",
+                    "$set": {
+                        "email": "some@gmail.com"
+                    },
+                    "event":"$identify",
                     "messageId":"2b5c5750-46fc-4b21-8aa8-27032e8afb16",
                 }
             ]
@@ -251,9 +256,9 @@ class TestBatch(BaseTest):
         self.assertEqual(events[0].event, 'user signed up')
         self.assertEqual(events[0].properties, {'property1': 'value', 'property2': 'value'})
         self.assertEqual(events[0].timestamp, datetime.datetime(2020, 2, 10, 1, 45, 20, 777210, tzinfo=pytz.UTC))
-        self.assertEqual(events[1].event, 'user did something else')
 
         self.assertEqual(Person.objects.get(persondistinctid__distinct_id='test_id').distinct_ids, ['test_id'])
+        self.assertEqual(Person.objects.get(persondistinctid__distinct_id='test_id').properties['email'], 'some@gmail.com')
 
     def test_batch_alias(self):
         Person.objects.create(team=self.team, distinct_ids=['old_distinct_id'])