Don't Let 657 Boulevard and Other Chilling Tales Keep You from Living in Westfield, NJ
Photo Christina Sees / Michael Martinetti Group
It's no secret that Westfield, NJ is considered one of the nation's best towns to live in. It has also been rising in popularity among horror and pop culture enthusiasts due to the 2022 premiere of Netflix's The Watcher.
Here's the back story.
After buying their 1905 Dutch Colonial home located at 657 Boulevard in Westfield for 1.3 million dollars (plus $100,000 additional in repairs and renovations) in 2014, Derek and Maria Broaddus and their children were excited to move into their dream suburban home with six bedrooms, four bathrooms, four fireplaces, two porches and a finished basement. That is, until they received a letter. Signed "The Watcher," these letters became increasingly frequent and threatening. Fearing for their lives, the family ended up never moving into the home.
The Woods family, the previous owners of the property, were eventually sued by the Broaddus family for not disclosing that they had received a similar letter from The Watcher days before moving out. With no luck selling the home after repeatedly putting it on the market, the Broaddus family proposed tearing down the home and replacing it with two, which was rejected by the planning board. In 2017, the family decided to rent out the home for $5,000/month.
The home, dubbed "The Watcher House" by locals, was finally sold in 2019 at a half-million-dollar loss by David Realty for $959,360. The current owners of the property, who choose to remain anonymous, reportedly have had no issues except for the devoted fans of the Netflix series and NJ folklore lurking around their street to get a glimpse of the famed property.
Macabre fans can also find inspirations for the Addams Family house among the local Victorian homes, cartoonist Charles’ Addams’ former home, the site of the John List house (formerly the 19-room Breeze Knoll mansion, which burned to the ground in 1972), and more in the quaint town of Westfield which holds an annual Addamsfest in October.
Despite its creepy past, Westfield has one of the lowest crime rates in the entire country. According to AreaVibes, Westfield received an A+ crime rating with 93% fewer violent crimes and 74% less crime than the national average. Niche named Westfield the #13 best place to live in New Jersey and the #1 town in Union County. It ranks #149 as one of the best suburbs to live in America.
You now have two options: buy a house in Westfield or, if you’re too scared, go ahead and sell your house in Westfield. Your future is yours. Which do you choose?