Westfield, N.J., residents are sick of Netflix fans driving to The Watcher house

The people of Westfield would be happier if fans of the new Netflix series The Watcher based loosely on the creepy lore surrounding the house at 657 Boulevard would stick to their sofas and smartphones to check out the fictional version of the home in question.

But thats not happening, locals say, as visitors flocked to the area in the days after the shows premiere to get a glimpse of the real house that served as inspiration for the show.

Pradeep Soni drove 25 minutes from his home in Franklin, Somerset County, on Monday to get an up-close look at the house.

I just thought I would come because of how interesting the story was, he said. The house is nice though. Its not creepy or anything.

Louise Evans, a United Kingdom resident, who was visiting friends in nearby New Providence, decided to head to the house to check it out, too.

Its just a really interesting story, she said. I lived in New Providence when this was all happening, so now that Im visiting friends here, I thought, lets see the house.

They and other visitors over the weekend and on Monday found multiple township police officers stationed outside the home, with yellow tape surrounding the house and a barricade placed in front of the driveway to prevent trespassers.

Residents drove by taunting visitors, shouting things like go home out their car windows. While driving downtown on Saturday, resident Trish Dulinkski saw a long line of cars turning onto Boulevard.

We are all concerned for the family living there now and their neighbors, she said. 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.

Sabina Schutt, who lives around the corner from the house, got stuck in some traffic while driving home from the train station Friday night.

I think the show doesnt do wonders for placing our little, but amazing town in a negative light, Schutt said.

Though the show used the homes real street address, it did not film in Westfield, but at a house in Rye, New York.

Westfield Mayor Shelley Brindle declined to comment. The Westfield Police Department did not respond to a request for comment.

The "watcher" house in Westfield barricaded by township police.Nicolas Fernandes

The series was inspired by the case of the Broaddus family letters, which transpired in 2014.

Maria and Derek Broaddus purchased the six-bedroom Dutch colonial for $1.3 million in June 2014, but immediately started receiving threatening letters and never moved into the home. They attempted to sue the previous owners, alleging they were aware of letters from a mysterious watcher. The sender of the letters was never identified.

Do you need to fill the house with the young blood I requested? Once I know their names I will call to them and draw them to me. I asked the [prior owners] to bring me young blood, one of the letters said according to the lawsuit.

The Netflix series adds quite a bit to the story, including a fictionalized version of another true crime case from Westfields past, the John List family murders, which happened at a different home in the town in the 1970?s. That home has since been knocked down.

There may be some light at the end of the tunnel for locals who are tired of the crowds.

On visits to the home Tuesday and Wednesday, no fans were present, and police were no longer stationed there. The house is still blocked off with police tape and a barricade, though.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com.