DETROIT — A pornographic video played on an electronic billboard on the I-75 and M-59 interchange in Auburn Hills on Saturday night, police say.
Auburn Hills Police Department started receiving calls about the graphic images at about 11 p.m., sent officers to the scene and contacted the billboard operator, Canadian-based Triple Properties, to shut down the screen.
Auburn Hills Police Lt. Ryan Gagnon said the vulgar videos played for 15 to 20 minutes.
Investigators tell WDIV-TV that two people apparently broke into a small building at the site and loaded porn on a laptop that’s connected to the billboard. Two men wearing hooded sweatshirts were spotted on security video. Police are asking the public to help identify them.
Auburn Hills Police say these two people broke into the room housing a computer to a billboard and programmed pornography onto the billboard on I-75 in Oakland County. Read More: https://t.co/YJIXRbkjDB pic.twitter.com/A2KSgLsupB
— NBC25 / FOX66 News (@nbc25fox66) September 30, 2019
“I’ve never seen or heard of anything like this,” Gagnon said.
Multiple videos of the incident began circulating on social media overnight.
Regardless of whether the screen was hacked or if a Triple Properties employee displayed the porn on the billboard, charges could be filed, Gagnon said.
Triple Properties could not be reached for comment.
PORNOGRAPHIC BILLBOARD: If you were driving along I-75 North near M-59 East in Auburn Hills last night you may have seen something unusual on one of the digital billboards. This driver spotted it on his way home from dinner @wxyzdetroit pic.twitter.com/wNku1XY5AZ
— Jenn Schanz (@JennSchanzWXYZ) September 30, 2019
Gagnon said no known accidents occurred due to head-turning onlookers taking their eyes off the road, but it was nevertheless “a huge distraction to drivers and obviously obscene and inappropriate.”
“It was dark out, so the screen was glowing really bright,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed
