Property wars break out on lavish island after man 'cuts down his neighbor's tree to give himself an ocean view'
Patricia Belford, 80, has accused Jonathan Jacoby, 55, of breaking onto her Nantucket property and cutting down 16 trees without her permission in February.
According to a $1.4 million lawsuit, Jacoby removed decades-old cherry, cedar and Leyland Cypress trees from the home 'with the specific purpose of improving the ocean view from his own property' - which he is trying to sell.
Belford and Jacoby are next-door neighbors sharing a property line, but most of the trees taken down were far from that border, Belford says.
Jacoby has been accused of doing the unauthorized landscaping to make his stunning 4,491-square-foot beach compound at 3 Tautemo Way more appealing to potential buyers.
In its Zillow description, the contemporary home, listed at just under $10 million, has 'sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean' and Hummock Pond.
Hummock Pond, a salt-water pond on the southwestern part of Nantucket, and Cisco Beach are just fractions of a mile away from Tautemo Way.
And the only things inhibiting those 'sweeping views' of the nearby bodies of water were apparently the trees the Belfords planted in the 1970s.
When the trees were slashed, Matt Erisman, the property manager of Belford's $4.2 million home, notified the Nantucket Police Department (NPD), prompting an investigation.
Belford herself does not live at the property, located at 1 Tautemo Way, but in an assisted living facility, according to the Nantucket Current.
Jacoby's former landscaper, Krasimir Kirilov, voluntarily told investigators Jacoby was responsible.
In a police statement submitted as lawsuit evidence, Kirilov said Jacoby reached out to him for help cleaning up landscaping work he was going to do on his own.
Once he realized the work was not on Jacoby's property, Kirilov refused the offer.
'The NPD concluded that Jacoby entered the property knowingly and willfully and cut the trees for his own personal benefit,' the lawsuit reads about the ongoing investigation.
Nantucket Police Lieutenant Angus MacVicar told the Nantucket Current there are pending charges against Jacoby.
Belford, who is suing on behalf of her family's trust, argued the trees added not only privacy, but value to her home - with a nursey estimating they each could cost thousands of dollars.
'Based on the number of trees removed, the replacement cost alone exceeds $486,000,' the document, filed on June 23, states.
'This does not account for the historic value, loss of screening, increased noise, reduction in overall property value.
'Jacoby's actions were not only economically damaging but also emotionally devastating for Belford.'
Nantucket has become a hot spot for wealthy vacationers looking for a beach getaway.
The average home price on the ritzy Massachusetts island was roughly $4.5 million as of May 2025, according to Realtor.com.
Only about 14,200 people live on Nantucket year-round - compared to the more than 80,000 that swarm the island for the summer, according to US Census data.
It is unclear if Jacoby lives in Nantucket fulltime, and his lawyer did respond to the Current's request for comment.
'The way I feel is that I am confident once all of the facts and evidence have been presented, that justice will be served,' Erisman told the outlet.
'However, much of what has been taken from the Belfords is irreplaceable, and it's sickening.'
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