Billboard in Michigan Hacked to Play Porn For Drivers Along I-75
By R.J. Johnson - @rickerthewriter
October 1, 2019
Commuters driving along the I-75 near Detroit on Saturday were given quite the show after a pair of hackers managed to upload a porn video that played on an electronic billboard for about twenty minutes.
The Auburn Hills Police Department said in a statement that two men were spotted on surveillance video breaking into the building located beneath the electronic billboard where the computer that controls the sign is located. The building, which is surrounded by a six-foot fence and is left unstaffed, was broken into by the young men around 11 p.m. Saturday night. Video shows the suspects wearing glasses and hoodies pulled tight around their faces. The two young white men enter the building and then move the camera away from them as they begin hacking into the sign.
Naturally, it didn't take long for drivers to notice the pornography playing above them as they drove past the sign located outside Detroit, Michigan. Authorities said that several calls were placed to 911 alerting authorities about the peep show currently being played on the electronic billboard.
"It was very bizarre," Chuck McMahon told WDIV. "I thought maybe it was a billboard for a strip club or something. I was like, 'Huh, oh, wow — that's porn.'"
Police were able to contact the owner of the billboard, who shut down the show remotely after the imagery had been playing for around 20 minutes.
Billboard Pornography SuspectsBillboard Pornography Investigation UPDATE: It has been determined through our investigation that two suspects entered a small building, which houses a computer that runs the content for the digital billboard, located underneath the sign. The suspects forced entry into the building, which is also secured by a 6 foot fence. The suspects were captured on video inside the building, where they were able to access a computer and play the pornographic video on the billboard. It should be noted that the suspects entered the building at 10:49 pm on Saturday, September 28, 2019 and the date/time on the video is not correct. The suspects were inside the building for approximately 15 minutes before leaving. The suspects appear to be young white males, wearing hoodies and both wearing glasses. The camera had a night vision function on it, so it is unknown what color clothing the suspects were wearing. On September 28, 2019 at about 11:00 pm, the Auburn Hills Police Department received reports from drivers that a freeway electronic billboard sign was displaying a pornographic video. The billboard is located on the east side of I-75, south of M-59, which displays a digital image facing both north and south. Officers arrived on scene and witnessed the video being displayed at that time. We were able to contact an emergency contact for the private business, which operates the sign, and they were able to shut down the sign. We believe that the video may have been playing for at least 15 to 20 minutes before it was turned off. There are some initial reports indicating that CBS Outdoors or Outfront Media owns the sign. Those initial reports are not accurate and the actual owner/operator of the sign is Triple Communications with its parent company being Triple Investment Group (owners of the Pontiac Silverdome property). Representatives with Triple Communications have been cooperating with investigators. Promoting pornography and/or promoting pornography for minors by disseminating any pornographic material, images, videos, etc. is a violation of an Auburn Hills local ordinance with a possible penalty of 90 days in jail and/or a $500 fine. These suspects now face potential burglary charges for forcing entry into the building to gain access to the computer system, which is a felony offense. We are requesting the public’s assistance in trying to identify the suspects responsible for this crime. If you have any information related to this case, we ask that you please contact the Auburn Hills Police Department at 248-364-9460.
Posted by Auburn Hills Police Department on Monday, September 30, 2019
"Promoting pornography and/or promoting pornography for minors by disseminating any pornographic material, images, videos, etc. is a violation of an Auburn Hills local ordinance with a possible penalty of 90 days in jail and/or a $500 fine. These suspects now face potential burglary charges for forcing entry into the building to gain access to the computer system, which is a felony offense," Auburn Hills police said in a statement about the incident.
Police are asking for the public's help in identifying the suspects and anyone with any information related to this case to please contact the Auburn Hills Police Department.
Photo: Auburn Hills Police Department