Nantucket Homeowner Accused of Cutting Down Neighbor’s Trees, Sells Property for $2.1 Million Below Asking

A Nantucket, MA homeowner in the middle of a neighborhood war has sold his house – the one that caused him legal trouble.

Jonathan Jacoby is accused of cutting down 16 of his neighbor’s trees to create ocean views for the house he was selling. The listing had highlighted ‘breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean’.

Jacoby’s property at 3 Tautemo Way has been on the market since August 2024, when it was listed for $11,495,000. A few months later the price was lowered to $9,975,000.

The listing was removed in December 2024, but relisted in May 2025 for the same amount.

The house sold on October 7 for $7,875,000, according to the Nantucket Stream. That is more than two million dollars less than Jacoby’s asking price.

The four-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom, 5,000-square-foot home was built in 1995.

In the listing description, which has since been deleted, the property was described as ‘located in a high spot in desirable Cisco. 3 Tautemo Way is a contemporary beachfront complex, developed and situated to capture the expansive views of the Atlantic Ocean, Hummock Pond and the 780-acre nature reserve between Hummock Pond and Madeket.”

Small victory

Jacoby, 56, had three charges against him dropped. According to court documents, he was charged with destruction of property (a misdemeanor), cutting or destroying trees and trespassing (both misdemeanors).

His neighbor, Patricia Belfordhad filed a lawsuit against Jacoby, claiming he cut down the greenery growing between her property and Nantucket’s Hummock Pond Road, according to the Nantucket Current.

The trees that were cut down are said to be more than 9 meters high and decades old. According to the lawsuit, these included cedar, cherry and Leyland cypress.

It is alleged that Jacoby illegally entered Belford’s property, walked across her driveway to the south-southwest part of the property and felled more than 16 mature trees without notice or consent on February 22, 2025.

“The trees in question were planted by the Belford family in the 1970s and maintained for nearly five decades. Their removal not only violated plaintiff’s property rights, but also caused permanent damage to the character, value and privacy of the property,” the lawsuit continued.

Belford says the vegetation acted as a “natural buffer” between the site and a nearby body of water.

The Current reported that Belford believed Jacoby’s motive had to do with him putting his property on the market for nearly $10 million. Now she is seeking $1.4 million in damages.

In a police statement, Jacoby’s former landscaper says: Krasimir KirilovJacoby said he had been cutting down trees on Belford’s neighboring property and asked him to help clear the debris, according to the Nantucket Current.

Law enforcement officials confirmed that Jacoby had not received permission to cut down the beloved trees.

“The loss of the trees has significantly diminished the value and character of the Belford Property,” the lawsuit states. “The family considered the trees to be part of their home and history. Their removal was deeply distressing to Belford and the Belford family.”

Jacoby told The Boston Globe in a one-line email at the time: “I wasn’t trespassing, I was cleaning up her crappy trees.”

Days before his arraignment in November, Jacoby learned the charges had been dismissed. But he still faces the $1.4 million civil suit, which has been transferred to federal court.