Derek and Maria Broaddus were thrilled when they purchased a large six-bedroom house on Boulevard Street in Westfield, New Jersey, in June 2014. They paid $1.3 million for what they believed would be the perfect home to raise their three young children.
However, their excitement soon turned to fear. Just days after moving in, the family began receiving strange letters. According to CBS News, the first letter appeared ordinary but quickly took a disturbing turn. It was signed by someone calling themselves “The Watcher,” who claimed to have been observing the house for many years. The letter stated that it was now their turn to watch the Broaddus family.
The letters were chilling, but the scariest part was the Watcher’s unsettling comments about the Broaddus children. The writer referred to the kids as “young blood” and seemed fixated on them. One letter said, “I am pleased to know your names now and the name of the young blood you have brought to me.” Another letter asked whether the children would “fill the house.” The Watcher even ominously mentioned that if the children were playing upstairs, no one would hear them scream from the basement.
Over the course of about a year and a half, the Broaddus family received a total of four letters, each more eerie than the last. The Watcher demonstrated an unnerving level of knowledge: they knew the children’s names and nicknames and were aware of when workers were at the house. It was clear they knew details that couldn’t be seen by simply passing by.
In an attempt to feel secure, Derek installed cameras all around the property and invested in an advanced security system. Despite these efforts, the family was too frightened to live in the house and never spent a single night there. Instead, they stayed with relatives, even though they had spent over a million dollars on their new home.
The entire ordeal highlights just how terrifying it can be when someone threatens your family, especially your children.
Law enforcement worked diligently to uncover the identity of the Watcher. Police interviewed neighbors and tested DNA from the envelopes, even suspecting a nearby family might be responsible. However, no conclusive evidence was found. Private detectives and former FBI agents also investigated the case but failed to solve the mystery.
Unable to live in the house, the Broaddus family tried to sell or rent it out but faced great difficulty. Eventually, in 2019, the house sold for $959,000—a loss of over $400,000, not including legal and investigative expenses.
The new owners have not reported receiving any strange letters. To this day, the true identity of the Watcher remains unknown.
The entire experience left the Broaddus family financially strained and emotionally stressed, a painful example of how unexpected threats can upend lives.
In 2022, Netflix released a show titled *The Watcher* based on this bizarre case. Starring Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale, the series captivated over 125 million viewers in its first week alone.
The Watcher case remains one of New Jersey’s strangest and most chilling unsolved mysteries.
https://wegotthiscovered.com/fyi/family-pays-1-3-million-for-dream-home-then-mysterious-letters-start-arriving-what-the-watcher-knew-about-their-children-made-them-flee/
