A Nantucket, MA, homeowner at the center of a neighborly war has sold his home—the very home that got him in legal trouble.
Jonathan Jacoby is accused of cutting down 16 of his neighbor’s trees to create an ocean view for the home he was selling. The listing had highlighted “sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean.”
Jacoby’s property at 3 Tautemo Way has been on and off the market since August 2024 when it was listed for $11,495,000. A couple of months later, the price was dropped to $9,975,000.
In December 2024, the listing was removed but then was listed again in May 2025 for the same amount.
The home was sold Oct. 7 for $7,875,000, according to the Nantucket Current. That’s more than $2 million less than Jacoby’s asking price.
The four-bedroom, 4.5 bath, nearly 5,000 square foot home was built in 1995.
The listing description, which has since been removed, had described the property as “located on a high spot in sought-after Cisco. 3 Tautemo Way is a contemporary beach compound, developed and situated to capture the sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean, Hummock Pond, and the 780 acres of conservation land between Hummock Pond and Madeket.”
(Superior Court, Nantucket)
Small victory
Jacoby, 56, had three criminal charges against him dropped. According to court documents, he was charged with vandalizing property (a felony), and cutting or destroying trees and trespassing (both misdemeanors).
His neighbor, Patricia Belford, had filed a lawsuit against Jacoby claiming he chopped down the greenery that grew between her property and Nantucket’s Hummock Pond Road, according to the Nantucket Current.
The trees that were chopped were said to be over 30 feet high and decades old. They included cedar, cherry, and Leyland Cypress, according to the lawsuit.
It alleges that Jacoby illegally entered Belford’s property, walked across her driveway to the south-southwest portion of the property, and cut down over 16 mature trees without notice or permission on Feb. 22, 2025.
“The trees at issue were planted by the Belford family in the 1970s and maintained for nearly five decades. Their removal was not only a violation of the Plaintiff’s property rights, but also caused lasting damage to the character, value, and privacy of the property,” the suit continued.
Belford says the vegetation acted as a “natural buffer” between the property and a nearby body of water.
The Current reported Belford believed Jacoby’s motive had to do with him listing his property for nearly $10 million. Now, she’s seeking $1.4 million in damages.
In a police statement, Jacoby’s former landscaper, Krasimir Kirilov, said Jacoby admitted to cutting down trees on the neighboring Belford property and had asked him to help clean up the debris, according to the Nantucket Current.
Law enforcement confirmed that Jacoby did not obtain permission to cut down the beloved trees.
“The loss of the trees has significantly diminished the value and character of the Belford Property,” according to the lawsuit. “The family viewed the trees as part of their home and history. Their removal was deeply distressing to Belford and the Belford family.”
At the time, Jacoby told The Boston Globe in a one-line email, “I wasn’t trespassing, I was clearing out her crappy trees.”
Days before his November arraignment, Jacoby learned the criminal charges were dismissed. But he still faces the $1.4 million civil suit, which has been transferred to federal court.