The Tape Library - Archive of the Paranormal & the Unexplained - The True Story of The Watcher

Episode Date: October 18, 2022

Netflix recently released The Watcher, a re-telling of the unsolved case of The Westfiled Watcher. In this episode of The Tape Library, I'll be taking a look at the real life mystery of The Watcher and telling you what actually happened at 657 Boulevard. The original reports and updates on The Westfiled Watcher case - https://www.thecut.com/article/the-haunting-of-657-boulevard-in-westfield-new-jersey.html https://www.thecut.com/2022/10/the-watcher-657-boulevard-update.html You can check out The Tape Library in video form at www.youtube.com/thetapelibrary    Stock footage and additional audio courtesy of Envato Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thetapelibrary   Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetapelibrary . Archive of the Paranormal, the strange and the unexplained. The Tape Library brings you the creepiest stories, to keep you horror junkies up all night. True tales of ghosts, cryptids, UFOs and true crime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The picture perfect family moves into their dream home, only to find that they've actually entered a nightmare. A horror staple as old as time. Recently, Netflix released a new series from the man behind American horror story, Ryan Murphy. Based on the real-life case of the Brodus family, their new home at 657 Boulevard, Westfield, New Jersey, and someone who claimed to be the protector

of their new home, a figure that referred to themselves as the watcher. The Netflix miniseries is a heavily fictionalised version of the events that took place in this house, but as is often the case, the real story is just as terrifying. It's worth thanking Netflix and Ryan Murphy. Some of us have been watching this case for a long time now, and it's so nice that they have brought us whole bunch of young blood to join the investigation. So without further ado, let's find out what actually happened and dive into the true story of the Westfield Watcher. We've met before, haven't we?

Good house, don't you remember? As a matter of fact, I'm there right now. June 2014. Derek Brodus stood alone in the huge six-past bedroom house he had recently completed purchase on. It had been a long evening of painting for the 40-year-old family man. He paused for a moment and took it all in. The house needed a fair amount of work before his family would be able to move in, but this was it. This was their forever home. It's something of a cliche, but this really was the Brodus family's dream home. Maria, Derek's wife, had grown up in Westfield. Her childhood home being just a few blocks away from 657 Boulevard.

Derek, born in Maine, had grown up in a working class family, but worked his way up the ladder at a New York-based insurance company, and he was now making enough that the family could begin living a more lavish lifestyle. Despite the work that was needed, 657 Boulevard was certainly lavish, costing the family around $1.3 million, but after three different homes in recent years, this was a place Derek could see them staying as they raised their free children. It was a beautiful neighbourhood and rated as one of the safest in America. In his visits to the property, Derek got the feeling of a tight-knit community,

a sense that everyone looked out for one another. This was a nice neighbourhood and it was in everyone's interests to keep it that way. What better place to raise a young family? Derek decided to take a step outside, to breathe in the fresh evening air and get away from the paint fumes for a bit. He strolled down the garden path out front to the mailbox. He found a few bills already, not what you want to see when you've invested so much of your money into a property, but a fact of life, unfortunately. More intriguing, though, was a white envelope.

On the front in a thick handwritten font, it simply said, the new owner. Derek opened the envelope and began reading the handwritten letter that at first appeared to be some sort of welcoming from his new neighbours. The first letter read as follows. Dearest new neighbour at 657 Boulevard, allow me to welcome you to the neighbourhood How did you end up here? Did 657 Boulevard call to you with its force within?

657 Boulevard has been the subject of my family for decades now and as it approaches its 110th birthday I have been put in charge of watching and waiting for its second coming My grandfather watched a house in the 1920s, and my father watched in the 1960s. It is now my time. Do you know the history of the house? Do you know what lies within the walls of 657 Boulevard? Why are you here?

I will find out. I see already that you have flooded 657 Boulevard with condescary. tractors, so you can destroy the house as it was supposed to be. Tis-tis-tis-tisk. Bad move. You don't want to make 657 Boulevard unhappy. You have children. I have seen them.

So far I think there are three that I have counted. Are there more on the way? Do you need to fill the house with the young blood I request? better for me. Was your old house too small for the growing family? Or was it greed to bring me your children? Once I know their names, I will call to them and draw them to me. Who am I? There are hundreds and hundreds of cars that drive via 657 boulevard each day. Maybe. Maybe I am in one. Look at all the windows you can see from 657 Boulevard. Maybe I'm in one. Look out any of the many windows in 657 Boulevard at all the people who stroll by each day. Maybe I am one. Welcome, my friends. Welcome. Let the party begin.

The letter was signed. The Watcher. was understandably freaked out. The family had all been at the house earlier that week. Derek and Maria had been chatting with their new neighbours, while their three children aged 5, 8 and 10, played in the backyard with some of the local children. Had this person been one of the neighbours they had spoken to? It seemed far too dark and weirdly formal to have been one of the children playing a prank. Or had someone been watching them? Was someone watching him right now as he read this letter? Derek rushed back into the house and quickly switched off all the lights so no one could see in. After taking a moment to regain his composure, Derek contacted the local police.

An officer came to the house and asked Derek if he had any enemies. Nothing came to mind for Derek, but if you didn't have any enemies before, he certainly appeared to have one now. Later that night Derek returned to his family who were staying at their house a short distance from 657 Boulevard a line in the letter had stood out to Derek I asked the Woods to bring me young blood and it looks like they listened

he decided to contact John and Andrea Woods the couple they had purchased the property from and asked them if they had experienced anything similar they had lived in the house for over two decades and said they had never received any letters like that. That was until just a couple of weeks before they moved out. Andrea Wood said they received a strange letter from someone claiming that their family had been tasked with watching the house.

While strange, as this had never happened before, John and Andrea dismissed it as an odd prank and threw the letter away. The police told Maria and Derek to not discuss, just a letter with anyone else for now, especially not their neighbours, who understandably were now all suspects in this strange case. Renovation work continued in the following weeks, and the broduses would visit from time to time with the children. However, after that first letter, they were on high alert, and any time they lost sight of the children, they would quickly

yell their names to make sure they were okay. At one point, Derek was showing around a couple of his neighbours so they could see the renovation work that was being done to the old property. All was going well until they said something that caused Derek to freeze in his tracks. Seeing the children running around the yard out back, one of the neighbours said, it would be nice to have some young blood in the neighbourhood. A phrase that normally wouldn't have been all that strange. But in the current situation, it shows. Derry to his core. He was becoming paranoid. His house filled with contractors. Neighbors curious about who the new members of their community were. Anyone could be the watcher.

But you get inside my house. You invite me. It is not my custom to... A fortnight after the arrival of the first letter, Maria had headed to the new house alone to check for any mail. When she pulled out a white envelope, with the now familiar handwriting on the outside. This letter was even more chilling than the first. Welcome again to your new home at 657 Boulevard. The workers have been busy, and I have been watching you unload carfalls of your personal belongings.

The dumpster is a nice touch. Have they found what's in the walls yet? In time they will. The letter went on to refer to them by their surname Brodus, although it was misspelled, implying the watcher may have overheard it. More disturbingly, the watcher referred to their names and nicknames of the children. I am pleased to know your names now, and the name of the young blood you have brought me. You certainly say their names often.

It went on to describe one of the children as the artist of the family, as the watcher had seen their daughter painting on an easel, inside the enclosed porch of the property, an area that could be viewed if someone was in the yard. 6.57 Boulevard is anxious for you to move in. It's been years and years since the Youngblood ruled the hallways of the house. Have you found all of the secrets it holds yet? Will the Youngblood play in the basement? or are they too afraid to go down there alone?

I would be very afraid if I were then. It is far away from the rest of the house. If you were upstairs, you would never hear them scream. Will they sleep in the attic? Or will you all sleep on the second floor? Who has the bedrooms facing the street? I'll know as soon as you move in. It will help me to know who is in which bedroom.

Then I can plan better. All of the windows indoors in 657 Boulevard allow me to watch you and track you as you move through the house. Who am I? I am the watcher. And have been in control of 657 Boulevard for the better part of two decades now. The Woods family turned it over to you. It was there time to move on

and kindly sold it when I asked them to I passed by many times a day 657 Boulevard is my job my life my obsession and now you are too Broda's family welcome to the product of your greed greed is what brought the past three families

to 657 Boulevard and now it has brought you to me. Have a happy moving in day. You know I'll be watching. Understandably the Broduses did not bring their children back to the house after this letter. Unsure what to do about the whole situation, the Broduses debated whether they would move in at all to the house after the letters. But not being around the property didn't mean the watcher was done. Just a few weeks later, a third letter was sent. This time it was asked where they had gone and that the house was missing them.

The house is crying from all the pain it's going through. You have changed it and made it so fancy. You are stealing its history. It cries for the past. And what used to be in the time when I roamed its halls. The 1960s were a good time for 657 Boulevard. When I ran from room to room, imagining the life with the rich occupants there.

The house was full of life and young blood. Then it got old and so did my father. But he kept watching until the day he died. And now I watch and wait for the day when the young blood will be mine again. 6.57 Boulevard is turning on me. It is coming after me. I don't understand why What spell did you cast on it

It used to be my friend and now it is my enemy I am in charge of 657 Boulevard It is not in charge of me I will fend off its bad things And wait for it to become good again It will not punish me I will rise again I will be patient

and wait for this to pass and for you to bring the young blood back to me 657 Boulevard needs young blood it needs you come back let the young blood play again like I once did

let the young blood sleep in 657 Boulevard stop changing it and let it alone Interestingly, the comments about the house turning on the watcher came after in an act of desperation. Derek had invited a priest to come and blessed the house. The main suspects in his case soon became the British's new next-door neighbours, the Langford's. A strange family who had lived in the neighbourhood since the 1960s.

Penny Langford was a 90-year-old woman who lived in the house with several of her adult children, some of whom were in their 60s. Their property also would have had a decent view of the enclosed porch of 657, where the Brodus's daughter was painting. Both the police and Derek and Maria began to suspect one of the younger members of the family. Michael, when he was brought in for questioning, he apparently said a number of things that seemed to coincide with the narrative of the letters. However, there was a lack of any real evidence that he was behind the threats.

The case against Michael grew even more strenuous when DNA evidence taken from the envelopes revealed they had been licked by a woman. Derek felt the police weren't taking the situation seriously enough and still convinced the Langford were behind it started his own investigation. He created documents detailing how close someone would need to be to the house to hear their conversations, installed cameras all around the house and spent many nights waiting in the dark. in the hope of catching someone spying on the property. He employed private detectives and even reached out to the former FBI agent

who had inspired the character Clarice Darling. But it was all to no avail. The investigation into the Langford's seemed to be going nowhere, and a number of other suspects cropped up throughout the case. More than one child sex offender was found to be living in the area. And one of the more creepy observations came from the Brod's scene, house painter who noticed the couple who lived behind the house had a couple of lawn chairs in the garden but they kept strangely close to the Brodus's property. One day he looked

out to see the older man who lived there sitting in the chair staring directly at the house. The chairs were always pointed at 657. After six months the family decided to sell the property. After all the renovation work they had completed, they attempted to put it on the market for more than they had bought it for, but rumours about the watcher were rife, and no one would touch it. They instead tried to sell the house to a developer who would tear the house down and build two smaller properties in its place. However, many of the local residents protested against this, and the Westfield Planning Board denied the request, as the area would be three feet smaller than their regulations set out for gaps between properties. Interestingly, further developments

in the area have passed with no issues, despite having greater size exceptions. It was beginning to feel like the entire community was against the Brodus's. At this point, all they wanted was to get rid of the house, but they just couldn't seem to do it. Some even accused them of being con artists, attempting to create a scary story and a bid to get a movie deal. But finally, Derek was able to find a family who were happy to rent the property. Under the condition that if they were to receive a letter from the watcher, they could get out of their lease.

It took just two weeks for the watcher to make their presence known. Derek returned to the property after the night. New residents complained about noises in the roof, that they believed were coming from squirrels. When he arrived, they handed him a letter. Some two and a half years since the first, the watcher was still watching. Violent winds and bitter cold. To the vile and spiteful Derek and his wench of a wife, Maria. You wonder who the watcher is? Turn around, idiots. Maybe you even spoke to me. One of the so-called neighbours who has no idea who the watcher could be. Or maybe you do know. And are too scared to tell anyone. Good move. I walked by the news trucks when they took over my neighbourhood and mocked me. I watched as you watched from the dark house in an attempt to find me.

Telescopes and binoculars are wonderful inventions. 657 Boulevard survived your attempted assault and stood strong with its army of supporters barricading its gates. My soldiers of the Boulevard followed my orders to a tea. They carried out their mission and saved the soul of 657 Boulevard with my orders. All hail the watcher. Maybe a car accident. Maybe a fire. Maybe something as simple as a mild illness that never seems to go away.

It makes you feel sick day after day after day after day after day after day. Maybe the mysterious death of a pet. Loved ones suddenly die. Planes and cars and bicycles crash. Bones break. You were despised by the house, and the watcher won. Five years after the whole deal began, Derek was finally able to sell 657 Boulevard to a new owner, who paid just $959,000 for the property, leaving the family with a loss of a little under half a million.

However, the recent selling of the rights to their story to Netflix appears to have made the broadest's a pretty penny. While it might not make up for years of paranoia and fear they went through, it certainly feels like a decent consolation and hopefully gives them the opportunity to restart their life free from this whole ordeal. Derek says he has no intention of watching the show, seeing the trailer was stressful enough for him. When they finally sold the property, Derek gave the new owners a note. It said,

we wish you nothing but the peace and quiet that we once dreamed of in this house. He also included a sample of the watcher's handwriting in case they ever needed it. To this day no further letters have been received and no one knows who or what the watcher might have been. If you want to delve deeper into this case, I've included the original article in investigation along with a recent update in the description. I'm curious to know who you think is responsible for the watchers' letters. If you have any theories, then let me know in the comments below. And if you enjoyed this video, make sure you subscribe.

I've got plenty more unsolved mysteries and tales of the paranormal on the way. Until next time, pleasant dreams. Just before you go to sleep tonight, maybe check your windows you never know who could be watching you