ABC(WESTFIELD, N.J.) — A New Jersey family that says they were scared away from their home after a series of cryptic and threatening letters from someone known as “The Watcher,” has received a fourth “more derogatory and sinister” letter containing “specific threats,” according to court documents.
The homeowners — who are so frightened by the letters that they have asked not to have their identities or address revealed — said that as soon as they bought their Westfield, New Jersey home in 2014, they began to receive the menacing letters from an unidentified alleged harasser only identified as “The Watcher.”
“It’s a great house,” Lee Levitt, an attorney for the homeowners, told ABC News. “This is a total nightmare and tragedy for my clients.”
Court documents show that the most recent letter arrived in late February, coming after a nearly two-and-a-half year silence.
“The Watcher” claims to be the rightful owner of the family’s home. The alleged stalker reportedly wrote in one letter that the house “has been the subject of my family for decades.”
In another, “The Watcher” allegedly wrote, “All of the windows and doors…allow me to watch you and track you as you move through the house.” It adds, “I watch and wait for the day the young blood will be mine again.”
The court documents did not specify the contents of the newest letter, citing an ongoing police investigation and a desire to keep its contents shielded from the media.
While the family has allegedly been harassed for three years, authorities still have not named a suspect.
The home’s owners have never moved into the $1.3 million, six-bedroom home. The fourth letter arrived less than three weeks after a renter moved into the house, court documents say.
The owners are also suing the previous owners of the home, alleging they knew about “The Watcher” but never said anything. The previous owners filed a counter-suit and the litigation is still in court, according to NJ.com.
In 2015, “The Watcher” became the subject of a town hall meeting after Mayor Andy Skibitsky called for the public’s help in identifying the anonymous stalker.
“When, over a year ago, this matter was reported to the police, our police department conducted an exhaustive investigation,” Skibitsky said at a June 2015 town hall. “Such efforts, however, have not yielded information leading to charges being filed and, therefore, this case is pending introduction of any new evidence.”
The homeowners are also suing Westfield after they applied for permits to demolish the house and subdivide the land to build two separate houses, but had their proposal denied by the town last year.
Neighbors have joined together in protest against the homeowners’ reported plan to raze the home and build two new houses, NJ.com reports. The attorney for Westfield’s planning board did not reply to ABC News’ request for comment on the lawsuit.
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