NJ - " I am the Watcher..." -- A Hoax ?

[Sternocleidomastoid]

From my reading of the documents, the only letter that was sent to the previous owners (the lawsuit does not state this was the only letter, but if there were more uncovered then I think they'd be included rather than alluded to- meaning I think they really only received one letter) was sent *one week before the closing*.

Thank you for the information! In that case, I especially agree that the sellers shouldn't be held responsible given the high likelihood this is related to the particular buyers somehow. It's almost so obvious that the sellers wouldn't be held responsible that I doubt anyone would commit this kind of crime hoping for that outcome.

You reminded me that the buyers themselves could want to back out of the sale, which I think is also quite likely. As far as random harassment or mental illness, the timing just seems too unlikely given the other possibilities. I suppose it might be slightly more amusing to the sadistic to convince a family that their new home is tainted, but it seems like this would involve an extraordinary amount of research and/or patience if the victims are truly random.

 

[Trident]

Also of interest:
In 1971, John List killed his mother, wife and three children in their Westfield, NJ home.

Spoooooky.

Yep, I thought of John List when I first read about this. John couldn't afford the house so he murdered his family. At least this bunch hasn't resorted to murder yet, they seem to be taking the "haunted" way out, LOL, maybe.

I don't know what to think but I doubt any family is watching a house for 90 years, passing the watching down the line. It could get awful boring, but then again it's Joisey, and I have a long-murdered cousin there plus assorted odd relatives. Who knows?

 

[Sternocleidomastoid]

Yep, I thought of John List when I first read about this. John couldn't afford the house so he murdered his family. At least this bunch hasn't resorted to murder yet, they seem to be taking the "haunted" way out, LOL, maybe.

I don't know what to think but I doubt any family is watching a house for 90 years, passing the watching down the line. It could get awful boring, but then again it's Joisey, and I have a long-murdered cousin there plus assorted odd relatives. Who knows?

Agreed. People usually buy as much house as they can afford or more, so things get very scary when this huge investment suddenly becomes a terrible idea. Couples sometimes, often subconsciously, take large steps in a relationship that is failing. These large steps, like having a child, moving in together, or buying an expensive new house can bring the relationship's problems to a head and end it. Closing on a $1.3MM house would be a nightmare in that situation.

Forensic accounting is probably in order here too. Most people that can afford a $1.3MM house are walking on a tightrope that we often forget. The average person making $40k or so can lose their job in a disastrous fashion and will still have a relatively good chance to find another job with a similar salary because there are a lot of them. Up at something like $250k, these jobs are far fewer and skills less transferable. That situation often requires searching for jobs across the country.

I also agree about the 90 years thing. Unless the Hatfields and McCoys are involved, no family would care about a house for 90 years. Nonsense.

 

[wfgodot]

It's the seemingly nonsensical element here that's scary though, as it leads to a quite poignant "What if?"

It's the stuff of fiction, of course, that dislocation of the logical and its replacement by a gaping unknown.

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

I am not certain which article I read this...

but two of the letters from the "Watcher" were dated June 18th and July 18th...

I wonder if the 18th of the month means something...?

If the number 18 means something ...?

If it is just a coincidence...?

Or... ???

:waitasec:

 

[dotr]

Thinking they should compare the handwriting with student papers at nearby high schools.
Start with the goth, zombie,( or whatever ) type girls, who enjoy writing, imo.
Anyone not want the family to move away to the new home because they would miss them?

 

[Stella]

Perhaps it's a grudge that has been passed down through 3 generations? The letter writer said his grandfather had been watching the house since the 1920's. Perhaps he lost his job and savings when the stock market crashed, which resulted in the house being foreclosed on. Having a home you love taken from you can be a bitter pill whose after-taste lasts a lifetime. Grandfather passed this life scarring event onto his son, who passed it on to junior, who now thinks it's cute to scare the living daylights out of anyone who buys the house that he feels rightfully has belonged to his family for nearly a century?

 

[Willow Knight]

I wonder if this is being done by person that wants to buy the house.

RSBM

This was my first thought. And the mention of renovations, if correct, takes this up a step. It would mean the writer was actually watching the house. Plus the writer knew the new owners had children? I wonder if all the people that lived in, or visited the house previously had wanted it sold?

 

[SophieRose]

If this a hoax and I believe it is, what should have been disclosed? "Oh, before we close on this we got a letter from some wacko who claims to watch the house" How much credence do you give to that disclosure from the family who's lived in the house 20 years without any problems? Did the sellers ever see this person? Was there evidence that someone had been in the house during that 20 years or since the new family closed? Were they ever threatened?

And the new owners haven't even moved into the house so all they have to go on is a letter. I'm inclined to agree that this is either an excuse from the new family because they can't afford the house or they're hoping some Hollywood type wants to a story about this. Honestly, I would be too embarrassed to admit I was afraid to live in a 1.3 million dollar house because of a letter. JMO,MOO

I wonder where the new owners are living, Zillow shows they sold their prior residence in 6/5/2014.

 

[Sternocleidomastoid]

Thinking they should compare the handwriting with student papers at nearby high schools.
Start with the goth, zombie,( or whatever ) type girls, who enjoy writing, imo.
Anyone not want the family to move away to the new home because they would miss them?

I hear what you're saying, this doesn't seem like a good fit to me. As a deliberate effort to discourage someone from moving out of town, this would be an incredibly misguided attempt, yet the execution seems rather sophisticated. I can't really imagine a scenario where this would prevent the sellers from moving to another area if they had enough reason to do so prior to the letters. I'll also stand up for goth type kids, who I hear hardly exist in 2015, and say that this crime doesn't fit that mold. If I were at all considering the local high school, I would look at 4chan type kids who spend a lot of time creating mischief on the internet.

Perhaps it's a grudge that has been passed down through 3 generations? The letter writer said his grandfather had been watching the house since the 1920's. Perhaps he lost his job and savings when the stock market crashed, which resulted in the house being foreclosed on. Having a home you love taken from you can be a bitter pill whose after-taste lasts a lifetime. Grandfather passed this life scarring event onto his son, who passed it on to junior, who now thinks it's cute to scare the living daylights out of anyone who buys the house that he feels rightfully has belonged to his family for nearly a century?

Well, that's certainly the implication. To me, it's hard to imagine that anyone 3 generations removed would take a grudge out on owners so far removed from anything that happened in the 20's, and why these ones in particular? Why not put sugar in the gas tank of the descendant of whoever committed the initial offense? This isn't a French chateau, it's a nice house in New Jersey and I have a hard time imagining how a regular piece of property would be worth avenging 100 years later.

 

[meanmaryjean]

I hear what you're saying, this doesn't seem like a good fit to me. As a deliberate effort to discourage someone from moving out of town, this would be an incredibly misguided attempt, yet the execution seems rather sophisticated. I can't really imagine a scenario where this would prevent the sellers from moving to another area if they had enough reason to do so prior to the letters. I'll also stand up for goth type kids, who I hear hardly exist in 2015, and say that this crime doesn't fit that mold. If I were at all considering the local high school, I would look at 4chan type kids who spend a lot of time creating mischief on the internet.



Well, that's certainly the implication. To me, it's hard to imagine that anyone 3 generations removed would take a grudge out on owners so far removed from anything that happened in the 20's, and why these ones in particular? Why not put sugar in the gas tank of the descendant of whoever committed the initial offense? This isn't a French chateau, it's a nice house in New Jersey and I have a hard time imagining how a regular piece of property would be worth avenging 100 years later.

L*O*V*E your screen name! A real head-turner! (See what i just did there?) :blushing:

 

[wfgodot]

According to a Broaddus family neighbor who claimed to have known the Woods family (who previously owned the house at 657 Boulevard and were recently named in a lawsuit by the current owners) the threatening Watcher letters were sent not from within Westfield, NJ but Newark. The neighbor, who said he was familiar with the Watcher’s notes through firsthand experiences with the Broaddus family and police interviews, added that they were sent via USPS and appeared to have been printed through a computer, as opposed to scarily handwritten.

more here: http://gawker.com/neighbor-the-new-jersey-watcher-struck-from-newark-1714236527

 

[LaborDayRN]

L*O*V*E your screen name! A real head-turner! (See what i just did there?) :blushing:

:laugh:

 

[Christina_33]

I did a free property history search last night on the address. The house was built in 1905. The first sale was in december 1990 to the previous owners. There's NO douments of anything bad about the property. As a matter of fact, the previous owners lived there from 1990-2014. That's 24 years, a little over 2 decades. Which the current family just so happens to mention. By the way, everything that the current family is saying about the previous owners kowing about the letter is their own oppinion. It's not a fact. If the previous owners were constantly being harrassed, I'm sure they would have filed a report and wouldn't have stayed there for 24 years. The current owners want to sue the previous owners for the entire purchase price of the house plus interest. That's a little shady. I think this is just an elaborate hoax to scam money from the previous owners. If they were really being harassed why wouldn't they spend more time ivestigating who "the watcher" is instead of trying to sue someone because they (the new owners) want to make false accusations. Also, why would someone wait a year to do file a report like this??? I think they got in over their heads and can't afford the home. That's no reason to lie and ruin someone elses life. If the previous owners are found not guilty, I hope they countersue.

 

[Christina_33]

Yes, the previous owners bougt the house in deember 1990 and lived there until 2014. Thats 24yrs, a little over 2 decades with no reports filed. Everything the current family is saying are their own oppinions. Not facts. I did a property history search last night.

 

[Christina_33]

There's a lot of things that don't add up. 1. The family moved in june 6, 2014 and said they began recieving letters 3 days after they moved in. So why would they wait a year to file a complaint if they claimed to feel threatened for their lives?
2. They say the previous owners who sold them the house knew about the letters, but never said anything? The previous owners lived there from 1990-2014. If they were being stalked I think they would have moved or filed a report. There's no statements saying the previous owners had any problems. I did a search of the history of the house and got a report.
3. The current owners say that in one of the letters the person states " this house has been in my family for decades". The previous owners were there for 24 years a little over two decades. I think the current owners are trying to scam the previous owners. Why wouldn't they be trying to figure out who "the watcher" is? That would be the individual you'd want to sue.

 

[wfgodot]

3. The current owners say that in one of the letters the person states " this house has been in my family for decades". The previous owners were there for 24 years a little over two decades. I think the current owners are trying to scam the previous owners. Why wouldn't they be trying to figure out who "the watcher" is? That would be the individual you'd want to sue.

snip

The lawsuit quotes the letter thusly:

"'The Watcher' claimed the following with regards to the home: 'has been the subject of my family for decades.'"

http://documents.gawker.com/the-watcher-lawsuit-1713657328

 

[Christina_33]

 

[Christina_33]

I agree. just posted pics from the purchase history

 

[Christina_33]

I just read an article that they had been living there. Also, why would the letter state that the watcher can see them through the doors etc. I think they wrote the letter.