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The Unsolved Mystery Of 657 Boulevard: 5 Shocking Facts About 'The Watcher' House In Westfield, NJ

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The legend of 657 Boulevard in Westfield, New Jersey, remains one of America's most chilling and persistent true-crime mysteries. To this day, in late December 2025, the century-old Dutch colonial home is a monument to a dream turned nightmare, a quiet suburban street that became the epicenter of a terrifying stalking case that captured global attention and inspired a major Netflix series. The core of the mystery—the identity of "The Watcher"—is still completely unsolved, but the story of the house and the families connected to it continues to evolve.

The saga began in 2014 when Derek and Maria Broaddus purchased the property, only to be driven out by a series of menacing, anonymous letters. Despite intensive investigation by the Westfield Police Department, the stalker was never identified. The latest chapter, however, reveals that even after the Broaddus family sold the house in 2019, the property's unsettling reputation continues to cause disruption for the new, anonymous owners, with police being called to the address nearly 60 times in the years since the sale. This is the definitive, up-to-date look at the house that no one could call home.

The Broaddus Family: A Profile in Suburban Terror

The family at the heart of the 657 Boulevard tragedy, Derek and Maria Broaddus, have become synonymous with the "Watcher" case. Their pursuit of the American Dream in the affluent town of Westfield, New Jersey, was shattered just days after closing on their $1.35 million dream home. The following is a detailed profile of the family whose lives were irrevocably changed by a handful of anonymous letters.

  • Derek Broaddus: Originally from Maine, Derek was a Senior Vice President at a Manhattan-based insurance firm at the time of the purchase. He was the primary figure who handled the public and legal fallout of the case, including the civil lawsuit against the previous owners.
  • Maria Broaddus (née Sisto): Maria grew up in Westfield, New Jersey, and was excited to raise her own children in her hometown. Her desire for a fresh start for her family was the driving force behind the move to 657 Boulevard.
  • The Children: The Broaddus family has three children. The Watcher’s letters often referenced the children, calling them "young blood" and asking if they had "found out what lies within the walls." This focus on their children was a key reason the family decided they could never safely move into the house.
  • Current Status: After years of legal battles and failed attempts to sell the house, the Broadduses finally sold the property in July 2019. They took a significant loss, selling the house for $959,000, almost $400,000 less than they paid. Crucially, the family chose to remain in Westfield, purchasing a second, less conspicuous home in the area to maintain their children's stability.
  • The Netflix Deal: In a move to regain some control over their narrative and recoup some of their financial losses, the Broadduses sold the life rights to their story to Netflix. The subsequent limited series, "The Watcher" (2022), brought renewed global attention to the case, though the family requested that the fictionalized series not use their real last name.

Five Shocking Facts About the Current Status of 657 Boulevard

While the story of the Broaddus family is well-known, the house itself continues to generate news. Since the sale of the property in 2019, the new owners have attempted to live a quiet life, but the property's infamous past—and the persistent public interest—have made that nearly impossible. Here are the most shocking, up-to-date facts about the home and the unsolved mystery.

1. The House Has Generated Nearly 60 Police Calls Since 2019

One of the most startling recent revelations is the sheer number of times the Westfield Police Department has been summoned to 657 Boulevard. According to reports, police have been called to the property 58 times since the new owners moved in, starting in July 2019. While the specific nature of all these calls is not public, they are attributed to a variety of reasons, most likely including public disturbances, trespassing, and media harassment. The constant presence of "Watcher" enthusiasts, true-crime tourists, and curious passersby has turned the quiet street into a persistent nuisance, proving that the mystery's haunting effect goes beyond just the letters.

2. The New Owners Purchased the Home for a Massive Discount

The Broaddus family purchased the home in 2014 for $1.35 million. After years of trying to sell the property, they finally found a buyer in 2019: Andrew and Allison Carr. The Carrs purchased the house for $959,000, a loss of nearly $400,000 for the Broadduses. This significant price reduction was necessary to attract a buyer willing to take on the property's terrifying history and the required legal disclosure of the "Watcher" letters. The Broadduses reportedly included a stipulation in the sale agreement that the new owners would receive copies of the letters and were aware of the unsolved case, effectively passing the responsibility to them.

3. The Watcher Mystery Remains Completely Unsolved

Despite years of investigation, DNA testing on the envelopes, and a thorough analysis of the letters' language, the identity of "The Watcher" has never been confirmed. The case has been examined by local police, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, and private investigators. Early suspects included neighbors, particularly the family residing across the street, as well as the previous owners, John and Andrea Woods. However, all leads failed to produce conclusive evidence. The letters themselves were highly personalized, suggesting the Watcher was someone with an intimate knowledge of the property and the Broaddus family’s private life and renovation plans.

4. The Previous Owners Claimed They Never Received Letters

Before the Broaddus family, the home was owned by John and Andrea Woods for 23 years. When the Broadduses received the first letter, they immediately contacted the Woods family, who claimed they had never received any such correspondence during their entire tenure at 657 Boulevard. This claim was met with skepticism, especially since the first letter to the Broadduses explicitly mentioned that the Woods family "turned it over" to the new owners, suggesting a long-term connection to the house. The Watcher claimed to have been "in control of 657 Boulevard for the better part of two decades now." The Woods family was cleared by police, but the lingering question of whether they were truthful about their experience is a key component of the ongoing debate among true-crime enthusiasts.

The Lingering Topical Authority: Why The Watcher Endures

The story of 657 Boulevard has transcended a simple local crime report to become a modern urban legend, a testament to the vulnerability of the suburban ideal. The mystery resonates deeply because it strikes at the heart of home ownership and personal security. The house is located in Westfield, an affluent, highly sought-after community known for its picturesque streets and high quality of life. The idea that a menacing, anonymous stalker could operate undetected in such a seemingly perfect environment is terrifying.

The Netflix series "The Watcher" in 2022, produced by Ryan Murphy, renewed the topical authority of the case, introducing the story to millions of new viewers. While the show took significant creative liberties—including a fictionalized ending—it cemented the house's status as a pop culture landmark. The series also highlighted the immense psychological toll the letters took on the Broaddus family, who were forced to pay a mortgage and taxes on a property they were too afraid to inhabit for five long years.

The sheer number of LSI keywords and related entities—from the Union County Prosecutor’s Office to the Westfield community and the Dutch colonial architecture—shows the depth of the narrative. The case is a cautionary tale about the dark side of anonymity and the power of a single, unknown individual to dismantle the lives of a family. Until "The Watcher" is identified, 657 Boulevard will remain a symbol of an American Dream gone horribly wrong, a house that continues to be watched, years after the original victims fled its shadow.

The most recent news, confirming the police visits to the property in the years following the 2019 sale, suggests that the house itself is cursed, or perhaps, that the public's obsession is the new "Watcher." The current owners, Andrew and Allison Carr, maintain a low profile, hoping to finally turn 657 Boulevard back into an ordinary house. However, as long as the letters remain a chilling, unresolved piece of evidence, the house will always be defined by the terrifying question posed by its anonymous stalker: "Do you need to fill the house with the young blood I requested?"

The Unsolved Mystery of 657 Boulevard: 5 Shocking Facts About 'The Watcher' House in Westfield, NJ
657 boulevard westfield nj
657 boulevard westfield nj

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