Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hi, I'm Juju Chang. You may know me as the co-anchor of Nightline or from my true crime reporting on 2020. Complex, layered stories like the Murdoch family murders and I'm going to get you the case of Debbie Dorian. And now I get to host a new true crime podcast from 2020 and ABC Audio called Bridge of Lies.
It's a heart pounding thriller about the mysterious disappearance of Sarah Stern, a 19 year old from New Jersey who had dreams of becoming an artist. The night she disappeared, the only clue authorities discovered was her car, abandoned on a bridge overnight. Her friends and loved ones offered different theories. Maybe she jumped or fled to Canada.
But the more police were digging, conflicting statements moved investigators to consider the possibility of foul play. But what motive would there be to harm Sarah? The detectives start to piece together a shocking betrayal. It makes you question, who can you trust? Finally, a daring sting operation reveals a heartbreaking betrayal. You actually have to hear it to believe it.
In Bridge of Lies, we'll be sharing every twist and turn of this entire story over the next six weeks. Keep listening now to hear the first episode right here. And if you like it, you can get the rest of the series by following Bridge of Lies on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you're listening now. 911, where is the emergency?
In the middle of a cold December night by the Jersey Shore, a driver spots something that gives him a strange feeling. The caller thinks it looks like a car someone in their 70s or 80s would drive. And was there anybody inside the vehicle? I looked, no. OK. Unless they were sleeping. I couldn't see them by their head being up. Nobody looked like they were in it. All right. OK?
Police head to the bridge and find a silver 1994 Oldsmobile 88. It's rusty, and some of the paint is flaking off. Inside, the leather seats are wrinkled and worn with big gashes that reveal yellow stuffing. But the strange thing is, it doesn't seem like the car broke down or got in an accident. It's unlocked. The keys are in the center console. And the caller was right. Nobody is inside.
There's also no ID, no money, and no clothing. The trunk has some Disney memorabilia and artwork in it. But otherwise, it's just an empty old car left on a bridge in the middle of the night. The bridge runs between Neptune City and Belmar across the Shark River, which flows out to the Atlantic Ocean. On this cold December night, the river has a strong current.
Some of the officers walk down to the Belmar Marina to see if there are any clues by the water. But it's so dark, they can hardly see anything. As the waters of the Shark River rush into the ocean, the officers begin an investigation that will rock this sleepy shore town. An investigation that will make people question who they can really trust and what those closest to them are capable of.
From ABC Audio and 2020, I'm Juju Chang, and this is Bridge of Lies. Episode 1, The Abandoned Car. Police run the plates and figure out that the abandoned Oldsmobile is registered to a woman in her 90s. Her name? Lillian Stern. She lives about 10 minutes away from the bridge in Neptune City.
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Chapter 2: What led to the discovery of Sarah Stern's abandoned car?
Hello? Police department. Hello, buddy. Good doggy. The officers shine their flashlights into every corner of the house, putting a quick spotlight on family photos, Christmas decorations and poinsettias, and even more Disney memorabilia, including Goofy and Mickey figurines.
They check the living room, the bathroom, and a few rooms that look like they're being used for storage, full of tubs and boxes. Wow, this house is jammed packed. Talk about a fire hazard. Then they make their way to Sarah's room. She's recently graduated from high school, but it still looks and feels like a childhood bedroom.
Her door is covered with mini license plates that say Sarah, a sign that says Sarah Street, and a sticker that reads Caution, Sarah's Room. There are lots of mementos on the walls and a Canadian flag hanging from the ceiling. But the two officers are struck by what they don't find anywhere in the house. Clues to Sarah's whereabouts. Didn't find any suicide notes either.
On their way out, the officers go through the kitchen. There's a clock on the wall and boxes of crackers stacked up on the fridge. An officer opens up a cookie jar to get a dog treat for Buddy. A treat for the doggie. A treat for the good doggie. Besides Buddy, the house is empty. We went through the entire house. backyard, everything. There's absolutely nobody home.
They leave with the same question they started with. Where is Sarah Stern? Well, I guess Neptune's going to have to figure out what their mindset of this kid is. Neptune's going to have to figure out what the mindset of this kid is. So while these officers were going through the Stearns' house, other investigators were tracking down Sarah's dad, Michael.
Turns out he wasn't home because he was on vacation in Orlando, Florida, with his girlfriend. And the phone rang around 3 o'clock in the morning. Monmouth County Sheriff's Department, do you know anything about a car, you know, gray Oldsmobile? And I said, yeah, my daughter drives that car. Then they hung up. Michael called back, but got an answering machine. He wanted to know what was going on.
Why were police asking about Sarah's car in the middle of the night? So he reached out to his nephew, who was a first responder in Neptune. And I asked him, I said, find out if anything's going on with the car, whether it was an accident. Didn't know. Maybe the car is, you know, stuck someplace or parked someplace where it shouldn't be. No parking zone or, you know, tow away zone. Didn't know.
And he called back a few minutes later and said, yeah, they found the car up on the bridge in Belmar. Naturally, Sarah's dad started calling and texting her, but she didn't respond. I hadn't heard from her. I mean, her text messages on the iPhones are coming back green. So, no answer on her phone. The police pinged Sarah's phone to try and locate it, but nothing came back.
All they could see is that earlier in the night, her phone was in Neptune City and another town nearby. The last time Michael Stern says he spoke to his daughter, just a day earlier, she'd seemed completely normal. He says he told her about his trip to Disney World, which they both loved. Sent her a couple pictures of the castle and lit up for Christmas at Cinderella's Castle.
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Chapter 3: Who is Sarah Stern and what do we know about her?
Like so many teenagers in the 2010s, she expressed herself through her Tumblr account. She shared art, comics, and posts about how great dogs are. She posted about funny, quirky TV shows like Broad City and Bob's Burgers. She shared memes of the comedian Kate McKinnon and things like, as a 19-year-old, I oddly love Target as if I were a suburban mom of four.
She was also really into YouTube channels and personalities, just as the platform was starting to take off for content creators. Sarah became friends with other superfans around the world, and they recorded their Google Hangouts for a YouTube channel called Sprinkled Nonsense. They weren't really talking to an audience. They were just chatting with each other and putting it out there. Hey, Sarah.
Hi, Sarah. When did you appear? Hey! How did eating go? What did you eat? Oh, Jesus. I had pork chops. And yogurt.
Chapter 4: What evidence did police find in Sarah's car?
And yogurt? What? Not together as the dessert. Sarah was known for her quirky sense of humor. In a high school yearbook photo, she made a mustache out of her long, straight, dark brown hair. And a few girls next to her joined in. Sarah has brown eyes. And when she smiles, she has big dimples. Belinda Souza, Sarah's friend and softball teammate, said she had a gift for making people laugh.
Sometimes, like when you're with her, you just forget about everything around you. And it's just, it's you and her and whatever funny, crazy story she's telling and you're just joking. Sarah was also known throughout Neptune City for her artwork. In high school, she got really into drawing portraits and doing illustrations.
She joined her high school's art club and won the most artistic superlative her senior year. She even painted an illustration on the windows of a local restaurant. She did a nice snowman holding an ice cream cone. Her dad said making art might have been a way to cope with grief. Sarah's mom passed away from cancer when Sarah was a sophomore.
Her family and friends said she went through ups and downs and struggled emotionally. But Michael said one of her favorite sayings during high school was reckless optimist. She tried to put that on her cap during the graduation ceremony. and one of the teachers or advisors saying that you have to take that stuff off.
Well, she peeled a couple letters off and put them back on when she was waiting to go get her diploma. She graduated in 2015, and the summer after graduation, Sarah worked as a badge checker at Bradley Beach, a classic job for a Jersey Shore teenager. She took some classes at a community college, worked odd jobs, and was figuring out what to do next.
She ultimately wanted to pursue a career in art. When Sarah's car was found on the bridge, she was at the very beginning of her adult life. She was seeking her place in the world, eager to explore, travel, and pursue her passions. Standing outside Sarah's house in the pitch dark, police know Michael Stern is on his way back from Florida.
And they've learned that Lillian Stern, Sarah's 96-year-old grandma, is staying at a neighbor's house, recovering from a medical procedure. But they are no closer to finding Sarah. Until they get some new information. Sarah spent the afternoon with a friend. So officers leave the Stearns' house to knock on another door in the middle of the night, hoping for some clues about where Sarah could be.
It's the Paradise Podcast. I am your host, Ryan Michelle Bathé, with my husband, Sterling. What's up? Join us here on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+, where we'll discuss each episode with the cast and crew of Paradise. I'll be getting all the secrets from Dan Fogelman, James Marsden, Shailene Woodley, Julianne Nicholson, and Sterling Kelby-Brown. Paradise, the official podcast, is now streaming.
And stream Paradise on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+, for bundle subscribers. Terms apply. An all-new season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+. Mom talk has just been blowing up. Whitney and Jen are on Dancing with the Stars. Taylor is a bachelorette. Saying that out loud is crazy. Like, that is huge. But all the cool opportunities could pull us apart.
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