Ep. 017 | The Watcher
In 2014, Derek and Maria Broaddus were thrilled to buy their dream home in Westfield, New Jersey, eager to move in with their three children. However, their excitement turned to dread just days after closing when they received the first of many unsettling letters from an anonymous stalker who called himself The Watcher.
Unlike typical stalkers, The Watcher’s fixation wasn’t on Derek, Maria, or their children—it was on the house itself. He claimed his family had been ~watching~ the property for generations.
So, who was behind this disturbing campaign? A neighbor with a sinister agenda? A teenager indulging dark fantasies? Or could it even be the Broadduses themselves?
Well, this is A Trial by Podcast, so we'll let you be the judge.
SOURCES:
Architectural Digest. (n.d.). *657 Boulevard: 5 things to know about the real-life home from The Watcher. Architectural Digest. Retrieved from https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/657-boulevard-things-to-know-real-life-home-the-watcher
Cunningham, R. (2022, October). The Watcher: 657 Boulevard update. The Cut. Retrieved from https://www.thecut.com/2022/10/the-watcher-657-boulevard-update.html
Independent. (2022, November 3). The Watcher house: What happened to the owners of 657 Boulevard?. Independent. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/the-watcher-house-owner-true-story-netflix-b2219719.html
La Gorce, T. (2019, August 9). The Watcher house is sold in New Jersey. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/09/nyregion/the-watcher-house-sold-new-jersey.html
Ma, M. (2017, March 22). The Watcher strikes again: A fourth letter is sent as feds prosecute two in NJ for scamming homebuyers. NJ.com. Retrieved from https://www.nj.com/union/2017/03/watch_strikes_again_4th_letter_sent_feds_prosecuto.html
Shapiro, R. (2018, November). The haunting of 657 Boulevard in Westfield, New Jersey. The Cut. Retrieved from https://www.thecut.com/article/the-haunting-of-657-boulevard-in-westfield-new-jersey.html
Shapiro, R. (2022, October). The haunting of 657 Boulevard in Westfield, New Jersey. The Cut. Retrieved from https://www.thecut.com/article/the-haunting-of-657-boulevard-in-westfield-new-jersey.html
