Man uses Times Square billboard to propose to his girlfriend

A Connecticut man made a trip to New York's Times Square with his girlfriend all the more special by using a billboard to pop the question.

Jose Negron of Waterbury dropped down to one knee and proposed to his girlfriend, Alicia, beneath a giant billboard that displayed a photo of the couple and their son with the message: "Will You Marry Me?"

Alicia accepted the proposal.

Negron said the plan came about after he learned about an offer on timessquarebillboard.com, which offers individuals the opportunity to have their photos displayed on the digital billboard. The service, which costs $150, has the photo displayed for 15 seconds every hour for 24 hours.

Jaime Suarez, the owner of the billboard, said the idea came about as a means of making good use of the advertising space during the pandemic. He said a similar offer for businesses will display a photo or short video ad for 60 seconds each hour for 24 hours for $500.

A British bachelor, Muhammad Malik, incorporated billboards into his own search for a happily-ever-after in January 2022. Malik had multiple billboards erected in the Birmingham, England, area imploring available women to "Save me from an arranged marriage." He said the ads led to hundreds of responses on his website.