20/20: Bridge of Lies – "Box of Money"

Podcast: 20/20
Host: Juju Chang (ABC News)
Episode: Bridge of Lies: Box of Money
Date: March 25, 2026

Overview

This episode of "Bridge of Lies" dives into the mysterious disappearance of 19-year-old Sarah Stern from Neptune City, New Jersey. While initial theories focused on Sarah fleeing to Canada or dying by suicide, the investigation takes a dramatic turn when detectives uncover a hidden stash of old cash belonging to Sarah—raising new motives and suspicions among those closest to her. The episode explores the importance of this "box of money" as a possible catalyst for foul play, and scrutinizes the actions and statements of Sarah’s friend Liam McAtasney, making this a pivotal chapter in the true-crime investigation.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Avon-by-the-Sea House and the Hidden Cash

• Sarah's Discovery: Sarah found a significant amount of cash, possibly up to $20,000, concealed in a box of family photos in an unused house owned by her parents at Avon-by-the-Sea (01:28–03:39).
  • Quote:
    "She discovered something else in the box. Cash. A lot of cash." – Juju Chang (02:18)
• The house was uninhabitable, filled with storage from the family’s former bookstore, and the money was likely overlooked for years.
  • Quote:
    "It was pretty much packed with odds and ends…literally packed from floor to ceiling, wall to wall." – Detective Nick Catalona (02:34)
  • The money was a peculiar family stash; Detective Catalona reflected:
    "My grandmother used to keep money in the freezer...People do things differently. Why she had a little stash of money, who knows?" (03:39)
• Sarah’s aunt and some friends knew about the money; her father, Michael, claimed he did not.

2. Early Theories: Suicide or Runaway?

• Police Theories: After Sarah disappeared, police considered two main possibilities: suicide by jumping off a local bridge or running away to Canada (03:55–05:44).
  • Conflict: Those close to Sarah insisted she was happy and had plans—making suicide unlikely.
  • Quote:
    "Sarah was in good spirits...she had goals and she had plans." – Detective Brian Weisbrot (04:53)
• Missing Evidence: No belongings, fingerprints, or evidence were found near the bridge or in Sarah’s abandoned car—her art, passport, and essentials remained untouched (06:22–07:25).
  • Quote:
    "If she's moving to Canada, you would think that she would need that, her Social Security card...So that didn't make sense to me that she was running away." – Detective Nick Catalona (07:02)

3. Financial Investigation & The Safety Deposit Box

• Investigators looked into Sarah's bank accounts; no notable withdrawals or purchases suggested erratic behavior (07:25–08:23).
• Breakthrough: Sarah had opened a safety deposit box at Kearney Bank, her local branch, and accessed it three times before disappearing (08:55–09:58).
  • Surveillance: On the day she vanished, Sarah accessed the box for the last time; captured on video, she appeared “carefree,” without signs of distress (12:01–13:20).
  • Quote:
    "This surveillance footage is the last clear recording showing Sarah’s face before she vanished into the night." – Juju Chang (13:20)
• The Money: Police recovered over $25,000 in old, brittle bills from the box—well beyond the initially rumored $10,000 (11:19–11:39).
  • Description:
    "This is old, old currency...brittle...most of them were stuck together...old style, smaller portraits." – Detective Nick Catalona (10:51)
  • Total:
    "$25,250 in twenties, fifties, and hundreds." – Detective Nick Catalona (11:34)
• New Motive: Detectives questioned whether Sarah’s hidden fortune could be a motive for foul play.

4. Increasing Suspicion: The Role of Liam McAtasney

• Friend Group: Few knew about the money—among them were Sarah's neighbor Carly and her high school friend Liam.
  • Reporter Jessica Easthope said,
    "Police start to believe that something violent happened to Sarah. But one of the biggest questions is why? When investigators find out about the sum of money that Sarah came into, they start to think that this could be a possible motive." (29:25)
• Police Interview: Liam was interviewed multiple times—he recalled spending the day with Sarah, running errands, eating Taco Bell, but initially omitted their bank visit together (18:09–20:39).
  • Quote:
    "Did you make any promises to her? No, definitely not. You wouldn’t tell anybody anything? No." – Detective Ryan with Liam (20:30)
• Persistent Evasion: When pressed about Sarah’s last day, Liam steered the conversation back to theories of her running away and asked investigators an odd question:
  • Quote:
    "What are the odds that she’s not somewhere all the way out in the ocean by now?" – Liam McAtasney (22:06)
  • Detective Weisbrot found this response suspicious:
    "I would have expected him to ask us questions like what are we doing to find her...Liam didn’t ask any of those questions." (22:26)
• When finally confronted about the bank, Liam admits he was with Sarah in the car but claimed not to have seen the money or known its details (25:36–28:12).
  • Quote:
    "It just doesn’t make sense that you would do all these things, stop at the bank so she could take care of her money and that you ask no questions. She doesn’t. You don’t inquire about anything." – Detective Ryan (27:45)
  • Liam’s answers remained vague, even as he was told his parents had contacted attorneys (28:47).

5. The Case Stalls but Hope Persists

• By late December, after weeks of investigation, the missing persons case began to shift toward a potential homicide.
  • Quote:
    "The case doesn't go cold, but it moves in that direction." – Reporter Jessica Easthope (30:09)
• Sarah’s family and police continued to pursue every tip. Her father, Michael Stern, stayed tightly engaged:
  • Quote:
    "I tried to talk to Michael Stern every day or every other day, if not every day." – Detective Brian Weisbrot (31:07)
• Community Response: A viral video from one of the YouTubers Sarah watched spread awareness and brought dozens of leads (30:49).
• Despite exhaustive investigation, weeks passed with little progress—until a new tip, a month and a half after Sarah vanished, came from someone local, promising new developments (32:04).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "She discovered something else in the box. Cash. A lot of cash."
  — Juju Chang (02:18)
• "This is old, old currency. And it was in a very bad condition. It was...brittle. Some of it was falling apart. Most of them were stuck together."
  — Detective Nick Catalona (10:51)
• "Sarah did not run away because if she was going to leave, she certainly would have taken her money with her."
  — Detective Brian Weisbrot (13:38)
• "It just doesn't make sense that you would do all these things, stop at the bank so she could take care of her money and that you ask no questions..."
  — Detective Ryan (27:45)
• "It's horrible. It's a sense of hopelessness...Sarah's my only child and you know, that's a...It's a hard feeling that we couldn't find her."
  — Detective Nick Catalona, quoting Michael Stern (31:34)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Sarah finds the cash: 01:28–03:39
• Investigators find the safety deposit box: 08:55–11:19
• Police recover and describe the cash: 11:19–12:01
• Bank surveillance footage last sighting: 12:01–13:38
• Turning suspicion toward Liam: 18:09–29:11
• Case stalls; family and community efforts: 30:09–31:54
• Breakthrough tip arises: 32:04

Conclusion & Foreshadowing

As this episode closes, the investigation reaches a crucial juncture. The revelation of Sarah's hidden cash changes the stakes and suspicions, focusing attention on her inner circle, especially friend Liam McAtasney. The episode teases a forthcoming undercover sting operation triggered by a tip from within Sarah’s community—a development promising to break the case open in dramatic fashion.

This episode offers a compelling portrait of a true crime investigation at its turning point, marked by dogged detective work, grieving loved ones, and the chilling possibility that hidden greed may have played a tragic role.