Teens arrested in connection with billboard porn along I-75 in Auburn Hills

Porn uploaded to electronic billboard in September

Two people accused of breaking into a billboard shack in Auburn Hills on Sept. 28, 2019, before a pornographic video was displayed on the billboard. (WDIV) (WDIV)

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Two teens have been arrested in connection with pornographic images that were uploaded to an electronic billboard along I-75 in Auburn Hills.

Auburn Hills police said two people broke into the shack at 10:49 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, just before drivers reported an electronic billboard on the east side of I-75 south of M-59 was showing a pornographic video.

Police were working to identify the two people who were shown on surveillance video inside the shack wearing hooded sweatshirts and glasses. Auburn Hills police said tips led to the arrests of two teens: a 16-year-old boy from South Lyon and an 18-year-old man from Sterling Heights.

The 16-year-old was placed in a juvenile diversion program. He will not be charged with a crime as long as he complies with the program. The 18-year-old was charged with misdemeanor trespassing.

The teens were wearing hazmat-like disguises when they broke into the shack, officials said. They got past the 6-foot fence securing the building and uploaded porn to a laptop that displays images on the billboard, according to authorities.

Here is surveillance video of the two people breaking into the billboard shack:

They were inside the shack for about 15 minutes before leaving, police said.

Police said the owner and operator of the sign is Triple Communications, which has a parent company called Triple Investment Group -- the owners of the Pontiac Silverdome property. Representatives with Triple Communications had been cooperating with investigators, officials said.

Drivers shocked: ‘Huh, oh, wow. That’s porn’

"It was very bizarre," driver Chuck McMahon said. "I thought maybe it was a billboard for a strip club or something."

Officers went to the scene and witnessed the video, according to authorities. They contacted the businesses that operates the sign and shut it down, police said.

Authorities believe the video might have been playing for at least 15 to 20 minutes before it was shut off.

“I was just looking up at it and I was like, ‘Huh, oh, wow. That’s porn,’” McMahon said.

Watch the report from September: Video shows pair break into digital billboard that showed pornography