When Derek and Maria Broaddus bought the property at 657 Boulevard, they envisioned a peaceful stay in the affluent Westfield, New Jersey, neighborhood. However, their dreams turned into a nightmare involving a stalker, the Watcher, who claimed it was their turn to watch the house and await its second coming.
The Watcher sent threatening letters to the family containing private details, making the threats more ominous. Derek and Maria decided to sell the home six months after purchasing it. With the police unable to identify the source of the letters, the Broadduses decided against placing their children at risk.
A family purchased the house at 657 Boulevard in July 2019
In July 2019, a family purchased the home for approximately $959,000. Beth Sullivan, the real estate agent who handled the sale, told TODAY that the new owners wanted to keep their identities secret. NJ.com reports that Andrew and Allison Carr are 657 Boulevard’s current owners.
According to Zillow, the property is off the market and valued at nearly $1.5 million. The Broadduses sold 657 Boulevard at a loss because they opened up about the letters from the Watcher to potential buyers.
Derek and Maria purchased the house for $1,355,657 and spent about $100,000 on renovations. Therefore, the Broadusses lost about $400,000 due to the Watchers’ letters.
The Broadduses didn’t move into 657 Boulevard despite spending a fortune on the property. They informed the house’s potential buyers of letters from the Watcher, sending most of them scampering for the hills – and who would blame them? One of the messages from the Watcher read:
“Will the young blood play in the basement? Or are they too afraid to go down there alone? I would [be] very afraid if I were them. It is far away from the rest of the house. If you were upstairs you would never hear them scream.”
Derek and Maria tried to sell the lot to a developer who proposed tearing down the house and building two smaller homes. However, the planning committee rejected the plan. In 2016, the family found a tenant who agreed to move in, despite more threats by the Watcher. The Watcher wrote:
“Maybe a car accident. Maybe a fire. Maybe something as simple as a mild illness that never seems to go away but makes you feel sick day after day after day after day after day. Maybe the mysterious death of a pet. Loved ones suddenly die. Planes and cars and bicycles crash. Bones break.”