The real home from ‘The Watcher’ is attracting unwanted guests. Stay away, cops urge
Wanting to get their own glimpse at the home that is the subject of Netflix’s newest trending series, people are flocking to 657 Boulevard.
But as “The Watcher” gains popularity on Netflix, police in Westfield, New Jersey, and residents in the neighborhood are encouraging fans to stay away.
Loosely based on a true story told in The Cut, “The Watcher” follows a married couple who move into their New Jersey dream home, only to be harassed in letters by a stalker who goes by The Watcher. As of Thursday, Oct. 20, it’s the No. 1 TV show on Netflix.
The subject of the series — Derek and Maria Broaddus — quickly tried to sell the home, and finally did in 2019, five years after initially putting it on the market, Esquire reported.
657 Boulevard, the 6-bedroom, 4-bathroom home in Westfield about 25 miles west of New York City, is currently occupied, according to New Jersey news outlets.
“We are all concerned for the family living there now and their neighbors,” said Trish Dulinski, who told NJ.com she had seen flocks of cars traveling on the residential street. “I cannot imagine how long it will be before people lose interest so the neighborhood can go back to normal, nor can I imagine how much mail the poor current owners will receive from crackpots all over the world.”
Amy Delpuerto, who lives in the neighborhood, told News 12 the reception since the series debuted has “been nuts.”
“There’s lots of people doing U-turns, and, I mean, kind of going all over the place,” she told the station. “It’s definitely a change from what’s normally a pretty quiet street.”
The frenzy forced police to put crime scene tape around the home with “no trespassing” signs, according to WCBS.
“People were coming from all over New Jersey to take photos,” one woman said on Facebook.
Officers have not commented about the surge of visitors, but two council members who represent the area have expressed concern.
“I... and am working closely with the Westfield Police Department, Public Safety Committee, the family who lives in the house and the neighbors to limit the impact of all of this attention,” Councilman David Contract told Tap Into Westfield.
Councilman Mark LoGrippo added to the publication that because the road is public access, officials are unable to keep people from driving by the home.
This story was originally published October 20, 2022 at 10:44 AM with the headline "The real home from ‘The Watcher’ is attracting unwanted guests. Stay away, cops urge."