New Jersey couple sues to raze house over creepy letters

The house Derek and Maria Broaddus bought in Westfield, New Jersey. File photoAP

Derek and Maria Broaddus bought the six-bedroom house in 2014

A US couple are suing their town after it rejected their bid to demolish their home because they say they are being hounded by a stalker.

Derek and Maria Broaddus took action after their New Jersey town rejected their plan to raze the property and build two houses on the existing plot.

They say they received three anonymous letters signed by "The Watcher" since buying the Westfield house in 2014.

In one letter, the stalker asks whether they brought the "young blood".

Six creepy quotes from "The Watcher"

  1. "I am The Watcher and have been in control of (the house) for the better part of two decades now."

  2. "My grandfather watched the house in the 1920s and my father watched it in the 1960s. It is now my time."

  3. "Will the young bloods play in the basement?"

  4. "Who has the bedrooms facing the street? I'll know as soon as you move in. It will help me know who is in which bedroom then I can plan better."

  5. "All of the windows and doors in (the house) allow me to track you as you move through the house."

  6. "Why are you here? I will find out."

The couple, who have young children, are refusing to move into the six-bedroom house, which they bought for $1.3m (£1m).

Their attempts to sell the property have so far failed.

In June 2015, the Broadduses sued the previous owners, claiming that they had also received a letter from "The Watcher", but never disclosed it.

However, that family counter-sued, alleging they were defamed through the amount of attention given by the Broadduses' legal action.

Westfield police have so far been unable to identify the author of the letters.