Westfield Watcher Homeowner Delivered Anonymous Letters: Report

WESTFIELD, NJ - The infamous case of the "Westfield Watcher" took a new turn when Derek Broaddus, whose family was on the receiving end of cryptic, disturbing, anonymous notes that baffled police, admitted in a report by New York Magazine that he delivered anonymous letters of his own to neighbors who had been critical of his family.

Broaddus and his family had been in the receiving end of menacing and untraceable letters written by the so-called Westfield Watcher that eventually drove the family from the home. Broaddus told New York Magazine in a story published online by the website The Cut, that last Christmas Eve he stuffed the stockings of former neighbors with notes of his own.

According to the story, several families who had been vocal in criticizing the family received hand delivered messages accusing them of speculating inaccurately about the Broaddus family.

It included stories about recent acts of domestic terrorism, allusions to mental illness and were signed “Friends of the Broaddus Family,” the story says.

Like the Watcher letters, the story notes that the missives were packed with “simmering resentment” and anonymous.

Until Derek Broaddus admitted to New York Magazine's Reeves Wiedeman he had written them.

Broaddus told Wideman he wasn’t proud of it and said they were the only anonymous letters he’d written and felt driven to his wit’s end, fed up with watching silently as people threw accusations at his family based on "practically nothing."

Broaddus delivering letters of his own is the latest twist in a strange tale of the highly publicized saga that began in June of 2014 when the Broaddus family with three young children purchased the property at 657 Boulevard. The new owners claimed within days of moving in, they began receiving letters from a stalker who called himself "The Watcher."

Disturbing letters from the "The Watcher" reportedly included phrases like: "My grandfather watched the house in the 1920s and my father watched in the 1960s. It is now my time."
"Do you need to fill the house with the young blood I requested? Once I know their names I will call to them and draw them to me. I asked the (prior owners) to bring me young blood," the stalker also reportedly wrote.

The couple, who have three children, say they were too scared to move in to the six-bedroom house due to alleged threats the letters contained such as "allow me to watch you and track you as you move through the house.

• See Related: 'The Watcher' Home Saga Continues; Former Owners Seeking Damages
• See Related: Westfield 'Watcher' Lawsuit Won't Be Dismissed, Judge Rules
• See Related: Westfield 'Watcher' Home Is For Sale Again

Maria and Derek Broaddus filed a suit claiming that the previous homeowners, John and Andres Woods, had knowledge that the property was being stalked by "The Watcher" and didn't disclose it to them. Judge Camille M. Kenny threw out the charges and said he didn't want to enforce a burden on future sellers on what they need to disclose to buyers.

"The Broaddus family took a brave and truthful stand as they would not sell this house without a full disclosure of the letters they receive," said Lee M. Levitt, the Broaddus family's attorney. "We continue to believe it is critical for all N.J. homeowners to know the truth about the houses they purchase."

The Union County Prosecutor's Office and Westfield Police Department reported that an investigation into this matter remains active.

Last month, the Westfield Watcher passed the Jersey Devil as the New Jersey's top urban legend, according to the website Thrillist.

According to the site the Westfield Watcher joins the ranks of New Mexico's Chupacabra, Maryland's Goat Man, the Phantom Jogger of Canyon Hill in Idaho and of course the infamous Florida Skunk Ape. Thrillist included in their rationale why each entry was creepy and where it came from. In the case of the Westfield Watcher, Thrillist said that it surpassed the Jersey Devil because there is doubt of the Devil's existence.

Editor's Note: The headline of this story has been updated for clarity.

(Image via realtor.com: 657 Boulevard, Westfield - known as the "Watcher" home.)

Thanks for reading! Learn more about posting announcements or events to your
local Patch site here. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Or maybe you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? Send an email to russ.crespolini@patch.com

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter by clicking here. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading our Apple iOS app here, or by visiting the Google Play store for the Android app here.