Introducing "Bridge of Lies"

Summary

---

Podcast Summary: "Bridge of Lies" Episode 1 – The Abandoned Car

The Hand in the Window Presents: March 10, 2026 (ABC News / 20/20, Hosted by Juju Chang)

---

Episode Overview

The debut episode of the six-part true crime series "Bridge of Lies," hosted by Juju Chang, immerses listeners in the mysterious disappearance of 19-year-old Sarah Stern from Neptune City, New Jersey. The story begins with the unsettling discovery of her abandoned car on the Belmar Bridge and follows the first crucial hours of the police investigation. As police and loved ones race to uncover what happened, the episode paints a vivid picture of Sarah’s personality, her relationships, and the tight-knit community suddenly gripped by a troubling mystery.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Discovery on the Bridge

• Setting the Scene ([02:01–04:30])
  • On a cold December night by the Jersey Shore, a driver spots an abandoned, rusted Oldsmobile on the Belmar Bridge.
  • The car (silver, 1994 Oldsmobile 88) is left with keys in the console, no ID, money, or sign of struggle, only Disney memorabilia and artwork in the trunk.
  • No sign of the owner or any clue as to what happened, igniting immediate concerns from responding police officers.
  • Quote: “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.” – Juju Chang [03:20]

2. The Initial Police Investigation

• House Search & Family Dynamics ([04:30–08:37])

  • Police identify the car’s owner as Lillian Stern, but direct their focus to her granddaughter, Sarah, who usually drives it.
  • A thorough and tense search of the Stern family home reveals only Sarah’s dog, Buddy; Sarah and her family are absent.
  • Officers see clues of Sara’s youth and personality: “mini license plates,” “Sarah Street” signs, and a Canadian flag in her room.
  • Quote: "We went through the entire house, backyard, everything. There's absolutely nobody home.” – Neptune City Police Officer [08:30]

• Reaching Out to Sarah’s Father ([09:09–11:49])

  • Michael Stern, Sarah's father, is vacationing in Florida. He receives a call about the car at 3 a.m.
  • As details emerge, the worry escalates: Sarah’s phone is unreachable; Michael urgently drives back to New Jersey.
  • Quote: “A million things go through your mind.” – Michael Stern [11:11]

3. Sarah Stern: Portrait of a Young Woman

• Community Ties and Personality ([14:15–19:59])

  • Neptune City is described as a small, tight-knit, "sleepy" town where Sarah and her family are well-known.
  • Tributes from friends and neighbors paint Sarah as quirky, artistic, and deeply rooted in her community. She grew up without siblings but maintained close bonds with neighbor Carly Draper.
  • Her online presence and sense of humor surface through stories about her Tumblr and YouTube channel interactions.
  • Notable for her artwork and optimism, even after losing her mother to cancer as a teen.
  • Quote: “Sometimes, like when you're with her, you just forget about everything around you and it's just... you and her and whatever funny, crazy story she's telling.” – Belinda Souza [19:23]

• A Life in Transition

  • At time of disappearance: Recent high school grad, art-focused, figuring out adulthood. Last seen at the threshold of possibility.

4. Broadening the Investigation

• Sarah’s Activities & Key Friendships ([20:19–21:40])

  • Police learn Sarah spent her final afternoon with a friend and begin late-night neighborhood visits for leads.

• Robin Draper’s Testimony & Emotional Context ([23:10–25:18])

  • Neighbor Robin Draper reveals Sarah stopped by to drop off a bin of her late mother's belongings the day she disappeared—a poignant, possibly significant gesture.
  • Robin, a surrogate mother figure after Sarah's mom's passing, is adamant Sarah wouldn't leave without saying goodbye.

5. Interview with Liam McAtasney: The Last Friend to See Sarah

• Police Approach Liam ([26:26–28:57])
  • Officers visit Sarah's long-time friend Liam McAtasney, rousing him in the early morning.
  • Liam claims his last contact with Sarah was earlier that day, stating, "We went to get food today."
  • He introduces, for the first time, the possibility Sarah ran away to Canada, mentioning recent depressive feelings and a strained relationship with her father.
  • Quote: “I just know she's been trying to get away and tell me she's going to Canada.” – Liam McAtasney [28:05]
  • Police encourage Liam to “reach out to some friends, maybe hit her [on] social media… see what her mindset was” – Neptune City Police Officer [28:46]

6. Theories in the Air & Emotional Uncertainty

• Police and Community Speculation ([29:05–29:42])
  • Officers struggle to categorize Sarah’s disappearance: Missing person? Suicide? Foul play?
  • Community members and investigators reference her struggles after her mother's passing but note her "reckless optimism.”
  • Quote: “She's not getting along with father. There's all kinds of emotional issues with her. We got depression. We got all kinds of stuff dealing with here. And I got a car on top of a bridge.” – Neptune City Police Officer [29:23]
  • Quote: “At this point, nobody knows.” – Jessica Easthope, local reporter [29:37]

7. Point of Tension and Looking Ahead

• Escalation of the Search ([29:42–30:10])
  • By daybreak, the search becomes more desperate, involving divers in the frigid Shark River and more scrutiny of Sarah’s inner circle.
  • Quote: “How did Sarah simply vanish into the night?” – Juju Chang [30:16]
  • The episode ends with pointed questions about friendship, lies, and possible betrayal.

---

Notable Quotes

• “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.” – Juju Chang [03:20]
• "We went through the entire house, backyard, everything. There's absolutely nobody home.” – Neptune City Police Officer [08:30]
• “A million things go through your mind.” – Michael Stern [11:11]
• “It's a small, tight knit community of people whose families have lived there for generations.” – Jessica Easthope [15:22]
• “Sometimes, like when you're with her, you just forget about everything around you and it's just... you and her and whatever funny, crazy story she's telling.” – Belinda Souza, friend [19:23]
• “She tried to put that [‘reckless optimist’] on her cap during the graduation ceremony. And one of the teachers… made her take it off.” – Michael Stern [19:59]
• “I just know she's been trying to get away and tell me she's going to Canada.” – Liam McAtasney [28:05]
• “She's not getting along with father. There's all kinds of emotional issues with her. We got depression. We got all kinds of stuff dealing with here. And I got a car on top of a bridge.” – Neptune City Police Officer [29:23]
• “How did Sarah simply vanish into the night?” – Juju Chang [30:16]

---

Timestamps of Key Segments

• [02:01] Discovery of Sarah’s car on the bridge
• [04:30] Police begin search of Stern family home
• [09:09] Michael Stern recounts first learning of disappearance
• [14:15] Town and community background
• [19:33] Friends and family recall Sarah’s humor and art
• [23:10] Police question Robin Draper about Sarah’s last visit
• [26:26] Police rouse and interview Liam McAtasney
• [29:37] Police and reporters discuss the ambiguity of the case
• [30:16] Transition to the broader investigation and future episodes

---

Memorable Moments

• The sensory-rich description of Sarah’s empty car and childhood bedroom, highlighting lost innocence and urgency.
• Raw candor from Sarah's dad as he races home in the night, his fear and confusion palpable.
• The moment when Liam introduces the “Canada” theory, instantly reframing the possible explanations for Sarah’s disappearance.
• Emotional testimony from Sarah’s close friends, emphasizing the deep bonds and shock that ripple out from her vanishing.

---

Tone & Style

The episode’s narrative is methodical, empathetic, and detail-oriented, capturing both the procedural tension of a real-time investigation and the heartbreak of a community blindsided by loss. Juju Chang’s narration is straightforward yet sensitive, giving room for first-person voices and painting a full picture of the town, the family, and the unanswered questions that now haunt everyone involved.

---

For listeners new to the case, this episode provides a compelling, deeply human introduction to the mystery of Sarah Stern’s disappearance, laying the groundwork for the twists, investigation, and betrayals that the series promises to unravel in the episodes ahead.

Transcript

[John Quinones]

This is John Quinones. Thank you for joining us. Over the course of this podcast, I hope you found the story as moving and compelling as I did. The team at 2020 and ABC audio is hard at work on more true crime podcasts I think you'll like as much as this one. So today I'm here to tell you about the latest new series from 2020 and ABC Audio, hosted by my colleague Juju Chang. It's called Bridge of Lies. It's a heart pounding story about the mysterious disappearance of Sarah Stern, a 19 year old from New Jersey who had dreams of becoming an artist. When she disappeared, the only clue authorities discovered was her car parked on a bridge overnight. Friends offered theories that she may have jumped or fled to Canada, but troubling statements moved investigators to consider the possibility of foul play. Finally, a sting operation revealed a shocking betrayal you'll have to hear to believe. Over the next seven weeks, Juju Chang will explore the whole chilling story on the new podcast Bridge of Lies. Keep listening now to hear the first episode 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. Now here's episode one of Bridge of Lies.

[Choice Hotels Advertiser]

I wrote a little song to remind you. Choice hotels get you more of the experiences you value. The Cambria Hotel's got it all.

[Juju Chang]

A rooftop bar, have a ball. Bring a date, your squad, or even your mom.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

Book [e-mail]911 where is the emergency?

[Juju Chang]

In the middle of a cold December night by the Jersey Shore, a driver spots something that gives him a strange feeling.

[911 Dispatcher]

Not an emergency actually. On the Belmar Bridge. In the middle of the bridge there's a car that's abandoned.

[Jessica Easthope]

So what kind of car is it?

[911 Dispatcher]

Kind of looks like an old beat up, light tan colored like sedan.

[Juju Chang]

The caller thinks it looks like a car someone in their 70s or 80s would drive.

[911 Dispatcher]

And was there anybody inside the vehicle? I looked now. Okay. Unless they were sleeping, I couldn't see them by their head being up. Nobody. Sorry. Okay.

[Juju Chang]

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, 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.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

Neptune City police.

[Stamps.com Advertiser]

Hello?

[Neptune City Police Officer]

Hello? Neptune City police.

[911 Dispatcher]

Hello?

[Juju Chang]

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. Officers head to Lillian's house, but they're actually looking for her granddaughter, Sarah Stern, who they've learned by now typically drives the Oldsmobile and lives with her father and her grandmother. Police shine their flashlights as they check the perimeter of the Sterns house and then they prepare to enter. From body camera footage, we can see it's very dark outside. There are just a few glimmers of distant light coming from porches throughout the neighborhood. The street's quiet and residential. It has sidewalks and modest homes with short driveways and fenced in yards. The Stearns house is white with black window shutters style. Sarah and her father both grew up in this house where police are now knocking, but no one answers.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

We're getting no answer at the house. I might go inside and make sure everything's kosher here. I want to make sure we don't have a jumper.

[Juju Chang]

A jumper? It's an early theory, perhaps the most obvious for why the car might have been left on the bridge in the middle of the night. Maybe the driver parked, then climbed over

[Shopify Advertiser]

the edge

[Juju Chang]

before walking into the house. Officers worry someone might be home.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

I'm pretty sure we're gonna run into Mike in there.

[Juju Chang]

Mike? Michael Stern. That's Sarah's dad.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

Be prepared for if Mike is home for him to be pissed. He may be out of state, but who knows?

[Juju Chang]

The front door is unlocked and they head inside.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

We're gonna make ourselves very well known by yelling and screaming, bang on walls.

[Juju Chang]

The home is Mostly dark, but there's a small lamp and overhead light on in the living room.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

Hello? It's the police department. Hello? Anybody home? Announce yourself please. Hello? I guess the grandmother's not here.

[Juju Chang]

A big dog is locked in a crate. It's Buddy, Sarah's 10 year old foxhound. He's brown and white with floppy ears and big brown eyes.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

Somebody put the dog in a cage. Hello, police department. Hello? Buddy. Good doggie.

[Juju Chang]

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.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

Wow, this house is jammed packed. Talk about a fire hazard.

[Juju Chang]

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.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

Didn't find any suicide notes either.

[Juju Chang]

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, treat for the doggie.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

A treat for the good doggie.

[Juju Chang]

Besides Buddy, the house is empty.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

We went through the entire house, backyard, everything. There's absolutely nobody home.

[Juju Chang]

They leave with the same question they started with. Where is Sarah Stern?

[Neptune City Police Officer]

Well, I guess Neptune's gonna have to figure out what their mindset of this kid is.

[Juju Chang]

Neptune's gonna 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.

[Michael Stern]

And 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. And they hung up.

[Juju Chang]

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.

[Michael Stern]

And I asked him, I said, find out if anything's going on with the car, whether it was an accident, 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. I didn't know. And he called back a few minutes later and said, yeah, they found the car up on the bridge in Belmar.

[Juju Chang]

Naturally, Sarah's dad started calling and texting her, but she didn't respond.

[Michael Stern]

I hadn't heard from her. I mean, her text messages on the iPhones are coming back green, so no answer on her phone.

[Juju Chang]

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.

[Michael Stern]

Sent her a couple pictures of the castle and lit up for Christmas at Cinderella's castle. And just happened to be that afternoon, there was a rainbow over the magic Kingdom. I sent her a picture of that too, and she just said it was great.

[Juju Chang]

Michael wasn't sure what to think or how afraid to be until the police called him back after their search of the house.

[Michael Stern]

Not in the house. So now we're kind of wondering what's going on. You know, I was thinking something happened. So a million things go through your mind.

[Juju Chang]

He quickly packed up his things and began the long drive from Florida back to his New Jersey home.

[Michael Stern]

At 3:34 o' clock in the morning, there's no traffic, so you can, you can drive pretty quick. But talking constantly to the police, they, you know, they would call, I would call them and getting calls from family and still looking for Sarah.

[Juju Chang]

As he drove down the empty highway in the dark, his mind was racing. What could have happened to his only child? Where could she be?

[Choice Hotels Advertiser]

Today I want to tell you about our friends at Meko. Meko has built an air purifier that works hard so you can breathe easy. It works powerfully and consistently to deliver top quality results, giving you cleaner air in any room of your home. Unlike other air purifiers, MECO is designed to be ultra quiet so it can work in the background while you work or sleep and go completely unnoticed. And you get the quiet efficiency without sacrificing performance. The three stage HEPA filtration system is considered the best of the best, proven to remove close to 98% of particles, allergens and odors. It comes with built in aromatherapy and the sleek, elegant design blends right into any room of the house, whether it's your bedroom, a nursery or an everyday living space. Breathe a little easier with MECO in your corner. With our unique deal, you can get their powerful air purifier for 50% off and enjoy free shipping for a limited time. That's right, 50% off and free shipping. Don't wait. Get an unbelievable air purifier for an even more unbelievable price at abcsecretsavings.com 2020. That's abcsecretsavings.Com 2020.

[WNBA Announcer]

You know when you're locked in, focused and fearless. Welcome to the wnba. Your vision narrows. You can't look away. Every assist, every stop, every logo. Three from beyond the logo, every did you see that moment?

[Juju Chang]

What records are going to be broken this season?

[WNBA Announcer]

All of it. Right here. Lock in. It's the WNBA on ESPN all season long.

[Instacart Advertiser]

Instacart understands that not all bananas are created equal. Some people want them green, some want them ripe. Some some want them ready right now. With Instacart's Preference Picker, now available at most retailers, you can choose how you like certain items like banana ripeness, deli thickness, even avocados before your shopper even starts. So instead of crossing your fingers and hoping for the best, you get groceries picked the way you would pick them. It's a small thing, but it makes a big difference. Download the app and get bananas just how you like with Instacart.

[Juju Chang]

Sarah Stern's hometown Neptune City, New Jersey is pretty small, population less than 5,000. Neptune City is a short drive from legendary Jersey Shore landmarks like Belmar's E Street, which Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band is named after, and Asbury park, where the Boss's career first took off with hits like Blinded by the Light.

[WNBA Announcer]

Blinded by the Light oh, cut loose like a noose, Another runner in the night Blinded by the Light.

[Juju Chang]

A lot of people associate the Jersey Shore with the big parties and the drama in the MTV reality show Jersey Shore. But the area also has quiet wealthy neighborhoods with mansions on the water. And then there are the laid back working class towns of mostly year round residents like Neptune City. In town there are a few bars and coffee shops, a handful of Italian restaurants and pizzerias, but other than that, a lot of quiet streets lined with houses.

[Jessica Easthope]

Neptune City, New Jersey is as small town USA as it gets. It's a small, tight knit community of people whose families have lived there for generations.

[Juju Chang]

Jessica Easthope covered Sarah's disappearance For Fios 1 News, a local news channel at the time.

[Jessica Easthope]

It's a middle and working class community. It's not the fancy Jersey shore that you're gonna get in Spring Lake. It's more run of the mill, sleepy town.

[Juju Chang]

But on December 3, 2016, it was not a run of the mill sleepy town. As police worked through the night, word was spreading that a car had been abandoned on a bridge and its 19 year old driver was nowhere to be found.

[Jessica Easthope]

Often when things like this happen, this young woman becomes everyone's daughter. She was missing. Nobody knew where she was. It was a 19 year old girl who would have normally been attached to her phone, and she was off the grid.

[Juju Chang]

Sarah and her family were well known in Neptune city for decades. Her parents had a bookstore in town called books unlimited, and for a time, her mom, Carla, was president of the parent teacher organization. Sarah spent her whole life in the same neighborhood, the same house, without any siblings. She really grew up with the kids who lived around her. Her neighbor, Carly Draper. So the two were raised like sisters. They always dropped by each other's houses and played together all the time.

[Carly Draper]

My parents had bought a little outdoor like table and umbrella that were for kids and two little lawn chairs. And we would sit out there all the time in the summer when we were little and just have like little pizza rolls and like iced tea. And my parents got flamingo sprinklers from Costco. Whenever their arms would go, the water would shoot out and we'd just play back there all day long, sitting on the chairs and playing the sprinklers.

[Juju Chang]

As Sarah got older, she built a community online too. 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.

[Carly Draper]

Hey, Sarah.

[John Quinones]

Hi, Sarah.

[Shopify Advertiser]

When did you appear?

[Juju Chang]

Hey, how did eating go?

[Neptune City Police Officer]

What did you eat? Oh, Jesus.

[Juju Chang]

I had pork chops.

[Carly Draper]

And yogurt.

[Juju Chang]

And yogurt.

[Carly Draper]

What?

[Juju Chang]

Why not together as a 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.

[Michael Stern]

She did a nice snowman holding an ice cream cone.

[Juju Chang]

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.

[Michael Stern]

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.

[Juju Chang]

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 Sterns house to knock on another door in the middle of the night, hoping for some clues about where Sarah could be.

[Shopify Advertiser]

When it's time to scale your business, it's time for shopify. Get everything you need to grow the way you want. Like all the way. Stack more sales with the best converting checkout on the planet. Track your cha chings from every channel right in one spot and turn real time reporting into big time opportunities. Take your business to a whole new level. Switch to Shopify. Start your free trial today.

[Stamps.com Advertiser]

Still waiting in line. Again, that's time you will never get back. Save time and money with stamps.com over 4 million businesses have skipped the line with stamps.com join them to save up to 90% off carrier rates from your computer or phone right now. Print postage for certified mail, registered mail and packages in seconds. Then schedule a pickup right from your home or office for a limited time. Go to stamps.com and use code podcast for a free welcome gift. Taxes and fees apply.

[Shopify Advertiser]

I started Ornod in 2013 and we make bike apparel. The best part of Shopify for me is our ability to run the business as essentially non technical people. We're able to admin everything on the back end, front end and sell things online easily. If Shopify were a bike accessory, I think it would actually be the bicycle. It's the thing that you do the thing on. We run the business on Shopify. Start your free trial on shopify.com

[Juju Chang]

police head to another quiet residential street in Neptune City, just a few blocks from Sarah's house. They knock on the door and dogs start barking. The officers wait a couple of minutes and then see someone coming down the stairs. As the door creaks open, they cut right to the chase.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

Is Liam home? Is liam home?

[Juju Chang]

Liam McAtasney is the friend officers are looking for. His mom, Megan, is at the door. She's in pajamas, in a robe, and she's groggy from being woken up in the middle of the night. She tells officers that Liam doesn't live in her house anymore. He's a block away In a small two bedroom house the McAtasneys also own.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

Now we're looking for a friend of his that's possibly a missing person and she supposedly hangs out with him. Is he Sarah Stern? Does he hang out with her?

[Carly Draper]

Yes, Sarah's a very good friend.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

Can you call Liam? Of course, if you don't mind.

[Juju Chang]

While police wait for Liam's mom to call him, another woman walks up to them in the dark. Robyn Draper lives across the street from Sarah. Her daughter Carly is one of Sarah's close friends, the one who was like a sister to Sarah growing up. Robin has talked to Sarah's dad, Michael, and managed to track down police in the middle of the night to share some information. She says the last time she interacted with Sarah, the day she went missing, Sarah dropped off a bin of her mother's things at Robin's house.

[Robyn Draper]

Okay. She brought over today. A bin. Can I bring my mother's stuff to your house?

[Neptune City Police Officer]

So she brought a bin of stuff of her mother's to your house?

[Robyn Draper]

Taped over. And it's in my kitchen. I was out. I said, yes, I'll put it in the cubby.

[Juju Chang]

This seems to catch the officer sister's attention. Robin says it's a big bin taped shut, and she doesn't know exactly what's in it.

[Robyn Draper]

And I tried texting her and nothing.

[Juju Chang]

The two are close. Robin says Sarah wouldn't leave without telling her. She took care of Sarah sometimes when her mom was sick. And since her mother passed away, Robin says she's taken Sarah to doctor's appointments, the dentist, the gynecologist, even the ER when it seemed like she had appendicitis. As officers speak with Robin, Liam's mom, Megan comes out of the house and says Liam must be sleeping. He's not answering her phone calls.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

We're gonna go knock, see if we can wake them up over there.

[Juju Chang]

The officer turns back to Robin Draper and asks if she told Michael Stern about the bins Sarah brought over. She says no. While they speak with Robin, officers are still considering the possibility that Sarah jumped off the bridge. They're trying to understand her mindset.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

Is she depressed? Is she.

[Robyn Draper]

I think she's.

[Carly Draper]

Is she

[Neptune City Police Officer]

not suicidal anyway, do you think?

[Robyn Draper]

I don't know.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

All right, we're going to continue this search then. Liam's on the other block. We're gonna go over there now.

[Juju Chang]

The officers get in the car and move on to their next stop. Liam McAtasney's house.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

Counting from 3,558. I'll be out at 11.

[Robyn Draper]

Holly.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

It's related to this call.

[Juju Chang]

Around 4:00am, police knock on Liam's door.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

Liam, you. Liam, you got a second? Can I come in and talk to you real quick?

[Liam McAtasney]

Yeah, no problem.

[Carly Draper]

Officer.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

Is Sarah here by chance?

[Liam McAtasney]

No.

[Juju Chang]

The officers step into the house. It's dark inside. There are no lights on.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

When was the last time you talked to her?

[Michael Stern]

I was with her today.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

What time?

[Liam McAtasney]

Before I went to work.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

So it was earlier today?

[Liam McAtasney]

Yeah.

[Juju Chang]

The officer turns on a light and he can see Liam more clearly. He's wearing a gray T shirt and shorts. He's tall, 6 foot 2, with blue eyes and wavy blonde hair. That's messy on police body camera footage. It Seems like he's just woken up.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

When was the last time you had any kind of contact at all with her?

[Liam McAtasney]

We went to get food today.

[Juju Chang]

Liam and Sarah have known each other since the first grade. They grew up with a tight circle of friends. In middle school, their group even had a name, the Squad. As they got older and graduated from high school, Liam and Sarah still hung out pretty regularly.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

You went to work at what time?

[Liam McAtasney]

4:30.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

Okay, so you haven't talked to her since 4:30? You have a cell phone you can reach out to her on?

[Liam McAtasney]

I actually haven't been able to find my cell phone.

[Juju Chang]

Liam says he's been looking for his phone but can't find it.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

Keep looking for your cell phone, man, because we're trying to find Sarah. What was her mindset last time you talked to her?

[Liam McAtasney]

I just know she's been trying to get away and tell me she's going to Canada.

[Juju Chang]

This is the first time officers are hearing that Sarah may have run away.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

Trying to get away. Okay, Canada. She's been real depressed lately.

[Liam McAtasney]

Her dad is crazy.

[Juju Chang]

It's also the first time they're hearing that Sarah may have had a strained relationship with her dad. The officers only talk to Liam for a few minutes. He says he doesn't know where she is. He says he hasn't heard from her. There's not much more to talk about. As the officers head out, they try to press upon him just how serious this all is.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

Maybe reach out some friends, maybe hit our message on social media, start reaching out to somebody, see if anybody's talked to her or if they. When they talk to her, what her mindset was and all that.

[911 Dispatcher]

All right.

[Liam McAtasney]

Planning on getting a phone as soon as I wake.

[Choice Hotels Advertiser]

Okay.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

And yeah, we spoke. We spoke. You hear anything, call the Neptune City or Neptune townsfolk Swan and let us know. Thank you.

[Juju Chang]

When the officers get back in the car, one of them sums up everything they've learned during their middle of the night search for Sarah. It's a muddled picture of Sarah's life and mental state, shaped by their interviews with Robyn draper and Liam McAtasney.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

She's not getting along with father. There's all kinds of emotional issues with her. We got depression. We got all kinds of stuff dealing with here. And I got a car on top of a bridge.

[Juju Chang]

Officers don't know what to make of the case.

[Jessica Easthope]

Is it a missing person? Is it a suicide? At this point, nobody knows.

[Juju Chang]

By daybreak, the search for Sarah will accelerate with divers and rescue boats on the frigid Shark River.

[Carly Draper]

And I remember walking in with my, my rain boots and it was low tide and I was like in the muck and thinking to myself, like, we're never going to find anything because she's in Canada.

[Juju Chang]

And police will look more closely at Sarah's inner circle, examining friendships, lies, and perhaps even betrayal.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

You're young. I want to make sure you get how important this is. This young girl is off the grid all of a sudden.

[Juju Chang]

How did Sarah simply vanish into the night? If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts, substance use or any other mental health crisis, please call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You'll reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also go to 988-lifeline do. Bridge of Lies is a production of ABC Audio and 2020, hosted by me, Juju Chang. Produced by Camille Peterson and Sabrina Fang. Fact checking and production help from Audrey Mostek and Annaliesa Linder. Tracy Samuelson is our story editor. Our supervising producer is Sasha Aslanian. Music and mixing by Evan Viola. Special thanks to K. Katie Dennas, Janice Johnston, Joseph Diaz and Michelle Margulis. Josh Cohan is our director of podcast programming. Eamon McNiff is our executive producer.

[Disney Event Announcer]

This July 4th, Disney celebrates America. 250, 24 hours non stop live all across the country. And David Muir is right there.

[Neptune City Police Officer]

Air 250 years of America. More than 24 hours on the air. This is going to be one extraordinary

[Disney Event Announcer]

event and you can watch it live on abc, Disney plus, Hulu, espn, Nat Geo FX and Freeform. An epic and historic celebration. Tell them, Stephen a.

[Juju Chang]

It's America's 250th birthday party. No one throws a party like Disney.

[Snare Podcast Narrator]

Three decades ago, a young woman named Angie Dodge is found brutally murdered in Idaho Falls. Police put a man behind bars. But as the years pass, doubts emerge about whether the real killer was ever caught. That's when Angie's own mother embarks on a decades long mission to uncover the truth. Listen to the Snare, a new series from ABC Audio. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast app and ad free on Amazon Music.