The Watcher: How ‘freaky’ house terrified town for years

Living the suburban dream became a living nightmare for neighbours near “The Watcher” home in New Jersey.

Living the suburban dream became a living nightmare for neighbours living near “The Watcher” home in New Jersey, US.

The house at 657 Boulevard in the seemingly idyllic town of Westfield has been riddled with news trucks and unrest ever since Derek and Maria Broaddus purchased the massive six-bedroom house in June 2014 for $US1.3 million (around $A1.4 million at that time), New York Post reports.

Days after moving in, they received their first harrowing note signed, “The Watcher”.

Their haunted house story is the basis for the new Netflix show of the same name, but in real life, neighbours were shaken up for years, and many are still questioning what really happened.

“It was kind of freaky. If you know Westfield, it’s more of a quiet town, more family oriented. When that story came out, it definitely struck people,” Ralph Bencivenga, a local business owner who has been a lifelong resident of Westfield and works less around a kilometre from the house, told The Post.

The home at 657 Boulevard in Westfield, New Jersey. Picture: Google Maps

About an hour’s drive from New York City, the home was the subject of a 2018 New York Magazine story detailing the Broaddus’ harrowing homebuying experience, when they received a letter addressed to “The New Owner” with the anonymous scribe claiming he was in charge of watching the home.

Each letter included personal details about the owners, their home and their children and that they wanted the house filled with “young blood”. The Watcher also wrote that the home had been “the subject of my family for decades” and that they were waiting for its “second coming”.

“How did you end up here?” the writer asked in the first letter to the family. “Did 657 Boulevard call to you with its force within?”

Aussie actress Naomi Watts stars in the new Netflix series, The Watcher, which is based on the real events. Picture: Eric Liebowitz/Netflix

In real life, neighbours were haunted by the mystery for years. Bobby Cannavale, pictured, also stars in the Netflix show. Picture: Eric Liebowitz/Netflix

In one letter, the anonymous author wrote: “657 Boulevard has been the subject of my family for decades now and as it approaches its 110th birthday, I have been put in charge of watching and waiting for its second coming.”

They claimed their grandfather watched the house in the 1920s, and their father watched in the 1960s.

“It is now my time. Do you know the history of the house? Do you know what lies within the walls of 657 Boulevard? Why are you here? I will find out.”

Mr Bencivenga said the news spread like wildfire in the town, and the allegations didn’t sit well with residents, many who had young children.

“There was always talk about the house. I’m sure people decided to move out at least out of that area,” he said, recalling the 2015 investigation.

“That area where it happened is a really beautiful area. It’s not too far from schools. It was a weird situation.”

‘Nobody wanted to live in the house.’ Picture: Netflix

The Westfield police department conducted a lengthy investigation, with the Broaddus family hiring a retired NYPD officer, forensic linguist and a former FBI agent to track down any suspects, however, they never had any leads or evidence and no useful information was pulled after checking the envelopes for fingerprints, according to New York Magazine.

Mr Bencivenga recalled there was trouble selling the home after the family moved out, noting that his son’s friend’s family rented the home in 2020.

“Nobody wanted to live in the house. My son’s friend lived there for two years, and my son used to go there and hang out. He never noticed anything. He knew about The Watcher, but it didn’t phase him. They just needed a rental in Westfield and that was their only choice,” he said.

Another resident, Kimberly Sorrentino, who has lived on The Boulevard for 30 years, told The Sun she “seriously contemplated” buying the Broaddus family’s home when it went up for sale.

And other residents told the outlet they underwent voluntary DNA testing during the investigation into the mystery notes.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as The Watcher: How ‘freaky’ house terrified town for years