These days, a brand-new real crime series is dominating the Netflix rankings, and it’s certain to sate all of your spooky season needs. The Watcher centers on a young family who, after moving into their ideal house in a suburb of New Jersey, becomes the target of an obsessive letter-writing campaign.
And, regrettably, for all those involved, it is based on a true story. The new limited series premiered on October 13, although the idea for the plot actually came from a 2018 New York Magazine piece titled The Haunting of a Dream House.
The article describes how the Broaddus family started getting ominous threats with disturbing information about their kids and their new house.
The situation became so serious that the police and private investigators were called in to try to identify the letter writers. Here is all the information you require regarding what actually transpired following the Broaddus family’s acquisition of 657 Boulevard in Westfield, New Jersey.
Is The Watcher Based on A True Story?
Yes, although it’s hard to believe. The true story was first the focus of Reeves Wiedeman’s 2018 New York Magazine article, “The Haunting of a Dream House.” Maria and Derek Broaddus, a real-life couple, spent $1.35 million (a little less than the $3.5 million price tag in the series) to purchase and start remodeling their dream home in Westfield, New Jersey.
They soon started getting anonymous notes in the mail, just as in the play. The initial correspondence was cordial, but later letters grew menacing and emphasized Maria and Derek’s three young children.
To help them identify the author of the puzzling letters, the family got in touch with law officials. The Brannocks truly reside in the home in the Netflix series, but the Broaddus family never ever did.
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Who Is The Real-Life Family from ‘the Watcher’?
In order to nurture their three young children, Derek and Maria Broaddus made the decision to spend $1.3 million on a “dream home” in Westfield, New Jersey. Senior vice president at a Manhattan insurance company, Derek was keen to provide his family with a comfortable suburban lifestyle.
Maria was eager to be close to her family because she was raised in Westfield.
But according to Distractify, the Broadduses started getting threatening notes after they bought the house even before they moved in. Derek later said that his search for the guilty party felt never-ending. In 2018, he stated to a reporter for New York Magazine, “It’s like cancer.” “We contemplate it daily.”
Who Owns the Watcher House Now?
The Maria Broaddus family attempted to sell the property in 2015 after they failed to move in after purchasing it in 2014 and starting to receive threatening letters. They tried lowering the price numerous times but were unsuccessful.
So they eventually decided to rent out the house until they found a buyer in 2019 who bought it for $500,000 less than they paid for it in 2014. Although the new owners aren’t identified, it’s thought that they’re a young family. In Westfield, New Jersey, at 657 Boulevard, the house is still standing.
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Where Does ‘The Watcher’ Take Place?
According to Zillow, the famed mansion is approximately 4,000 square feet, has six bedrooms, and four bathrooms, and is situated at 657 Boulevard in Westfield, New Jersey. It is not presently for sale. The house is now more than a century old because it was constructed in 1905.
According to New York Magazine, it is situated on “a broad, tree-lined boulevard with some of the more beautiful residences in town.
” The Boulevard used to be THE street to live on, the stalker wrote in one of their scary notes. If you resided on the Boulevard, you were successful.
According to New York Magazine, Westfield is 45 minutes outside of New York City and is primarily populated by wealthy families. According to the most recent US Census figures, Westfield is home to more than 30,700 people, 82 percent of whom are white.