Moving into a new home can be stressful. In the best-case scenario, the new neighbors are helpful or maybe distant, depending on how social of a person you are. But we’ve all been in that scenario where our neighbors aren’t exactly the type of people we wanted to live nearby. However, noisy or rude neighbors are nothing to the neighbor the Broaddus family endured after moving into their New Jersey home in June 2014. While many neighborhoods come complete with a neighborhood watch, this quiet street included its Watcher.
The startling true story tells of a family tormented by a stalker who communicated with the family through a series of letters left in their mailbox. Despite the family’s efforts, the police, and multiple private investigators, no one ever revealed the true identity of the Watcher. After many years of coverage, it is finally being adapted into a Netflix series called the Watcher this fall.
The Story
In 2014, the Broaddus family began renovating their newly purchased home at 657 Blvd in Westfield, New Jersey. The family came from a humble background, but Derek Broaddus successfully climbed the corporate ladder at a Manhattan insurance company and earned the title of Vice-President. The family found a new home valued at $1.1 million thanks to the newfound role. Unfortunately, this home was not entirely ready, and the family began updating the house before moving in.
The Watcher of 657 Blvd
One afternoon, while taking a break from painting the home’s interior, Derek decided to check the mail. To his surprise, he found a letter addressed “to the new owners.” This letter was typed but clearly left in the mailbox by the sender since it was neither stamped nor addressed. The Broaddus family was shocked when they read the content of the note:
“Allow me to welcome you to the neighborhood… I see already that you have flooded 657 Boulevard with contractors so that you can destroy the house as it was supposed to be. Tsk, tsk, tsk… bad move. You don’t want to make 657 Boulevard unhappy.”
The message revealed that the author and his family have been watching the Broaddus family’s new home for generations. As the letter progressed, it became clear that the author’s intentions were not just that of a nosey neighbor. The letter was signed “The Watcher.”
The Investigation
This letter made the family feel pretty uneasy. Derek immediately reported the letter to the police, who began an investigation as they deemed it threatening. At first, the Broaddus family continued the renovation process as planned. Still, as more and more letters began to turn up, the safety of the new owners and, more importantly, their children came into question.
The letters began to reveal more information about the house’s history and knowledge that the Watcher had learned during the family’s renovation. Things like the names of the children, the previous owners, and the home’s layout were slowly being revealed.
The Abandonment
The police left the investigation empty-handed, and so did a variety of private investigators. Left with no answers and the uneasy feeling of constantly being watched, the Broaddus family decided to wash their hands of the home and list it for sale. Unfortunately, word of the Watcher began to spread, and every potential buyer backed out of the sale. Finally, after years on the market, the home sold in 2019.
Conclusion
Many have argued that the claims were nothing more than a publicity stunt by the Broaddus family to get themselves out of the home. Since the family had so quickly made the jump from a $300,000 to a 1.1 million dollar home, this theory seems possible. However, the family has repeatedly defended themselves, stating that this was never the intention. Others argue that it was all a ploy to create a story that they could sell off to Hollywood. Well, if that was their intention, it worked. The family sold their story to Netflix in late 2019, and the limited series will be released fall of 2022. But before you watch that, be sure to watch or listen to this episode of the TILLN Podcast so you have all the context going into the Netflix adaptation.
And remember. ALL HAIL THE WATCHER.
Things I Learned Last Night is an educational comedy podcast where best friends Jaron Myers and Tim Stone talk about random topics and have fun all along the way. If you like learning and laughing while you do, you’ll love TILLN. Watch or listen to this episode right now!
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