AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Two young men broke into the shack that controls a billboard along I-75 in Auburn Hills to upload pornographic images to the billboard, according to authorities.
UPDATE: Teens arrested in connection with billboard porn along I-75 in Auburn Hills
Auburn Hills police said the two people in the picture above broke into the shack at 10:49 p.m. Saturday, just before drivers reported an electronic billboard on the east side of I-75 south of M-59 was showing a pornographic video.
You can see surveillance video of the two people breaking into the billboard shack below.
"In this particular incident, we had a local billboard basically run by a system onsite that is not staffed, which creates the perfect storm for someone to access it," Auburn Hills police Lt. Ryan Gagnon said.
Police said they appear to be young, white men wearing hooded sweatshirts and glasses. They were wearing hazmat-like disguises when they broke into the shack, officials said.
They got past the six-foot fence securing the building and uploaded porn to a laptop that displays images on the billboard, according to authorities.
They were inside the shack for about 15 minutes before leaving, police said.
"We want to seek the public's help in identifying these two people, but also to contact us," Gagnon said. "What turned out to be maybe a prank became a little more serious by breaking into a building."
The digital image on the billboard faces north and south, officials said. Police started to receive reports about the pornographic video around 11 p.m. Saturday.
"It was very bizarre," driver Chuck McMahon said. "I thought maybe it was a billboard for a strip club or something."
Officers said they went to the scene and witnessed the video. They contacted the business 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.
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 have been cooperating with investigators, officials said.
Promoting pornography or promoting pornography for minors by disseminating any pornographic material, images and videos is a violation of Auburn Hills ordinance with a possible penalty of 90 days in jail and/or a $500 fine, police said.
Anyone who witnessed the video is asked to call Auburn Hills police at 248-364-9460.