diff --git a/jsonLoader.go b/jsonLoader.go
index 5d88af2..0209941 100644
--- a/jsonLoader.go
+++ b/jsonLoader.go
@@ -189,6 +189,7 @@ func (l *jsonReferenceLoader) loadFromHTTP(address string) (interface{}, error)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	defer resp.Body.Close()
 
 	// must return HTTP Status 200 OK
 	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {