Ryan Jackson was heading to his Hammond, Indiana home when he saw something that truly broke his heart. A large dog was confined inside of a small cage, unsecured on the back of an open trailer. The trailer’s back gate was closed, but the sides were open.

A large bump or a quick maneuver could have sent the dog lying over the side and onto the highway. Since the driver was traveling at 75 to 80 mph, Jackson worried for the dog. Especially since it was 20 degrees outside.

“It made my heart hurt, really. You know what I mean?” Jackson told CBS. “I couldn’t imagine how cold the animal was back there… The dog was very unsettled when it was going by the semi-truck tires, it was very skittish, and you know, its hair was standing up.”

So, he got a quick video and called the police to report animal abuse.

“I didn’t start to get anyone in trouble,” he said. “I was more mad than anything, and I was more concerned about the animals.”

Police said justice couldn’t have been served without the video

Jackson tried to get a good look at the driver, but the driver’s windows were incredibly dark.

“The windows were so dark both the front and the back, you could kind of just see a silhouette,” Jackson said.

The video helped police identify the car, belonging to 37-year-old Erik McClinton. Shortly after the video was filmed, police found the SUV and the dog abandoned at an empty house in Gary. Police were able to rescue the dog, later identified to be a Cane Corso named Midnight.

Police said Midnight was in distress and endangered. McClinton was later found and arrested for animal abuse.

Midnight is now thriving in a foster home

Jackson’s video naturally went viral, especially after police announced they’d found and rescued Midnight from being abandoned. Many of Jackson’s viewers asked to adopt Midnight, but police have Midnight staying with a foster family until the case is solved.