Radioactive: The Karen Silkwood Mystery - Introducing "Bridge of Lies"

Episode Date: March 10, 2026

Today, we're sharing something a little different. This is the first episode of the latest true crime podcast from 20/20 and ABC Audio, "Bridge of Lies," hosted by Juju Chang. In episode one of "Bri...dge of Lies," a call about an abandoned car on a bridge in New Jersey touches off a search for a missing person. The driver of the car is 19-year-old Sarah Stern, an aspiring artist. Authorities try to piece together what happened in the hours before she disappeared. To hear the rest of the series, follow "Bridge of Lies" on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, ⁠Spotify⁠, ⁠Amazon Music⁠, or wherever you listen to podcasts. WARNING: This program includes discussions of suicide. Listener discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide -- free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call or text the national lifeline at 988. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Hi, I'm Jiu 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,
Starting point is 00:00:48 conflicting statements moved investigators to consider the possibility a 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. This show is sponsored by Quince. A thoughtfully built wardrobe is all about pieces that mix well and last.
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Starting point is 00:02:53 A driver spots something that gives him a strange feeling. Not an emergency. Actually on the Belmar Bridge, in the middle of the bridge, there's a car that's abandoned. So what kind of car is it? It kind of looks like an old beat-up, light-can-colored sedan. 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 now.
Starting point is 00:03:21 Unless they were sleeping. I couldn't see them by their head being up. Nobody would like to burn it. All right. Okay. 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.
Starting point is 00:03:48 But the strange thing is, it doesn't seem like the car brought. broke down or gotten 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.
Starting point is 00:04:10 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,
Starting point is 00:04:49 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 Jiu Chang. And this is Bridge of Lies. Episode 1, the abandoned car. Net-2-C police! Hello! Hello! That-to-C voice!
Starting point is 00:05:23 Hello! You're 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 Stern's house.
Starting point is 00:05:57 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.
Starting point is 00:06:20 Sarah and her father both grew up in this house where police are now knocking. But no one answered. We're getting no answer with the house. I might go inside and make sure everything is kosher here. I want to make sure we don't have a jumper. A jumper. It's an early theory, perhaps the most obvious
Starting point is 00:06:40 for why the car might have been left on the bridge in the middle of the night. Maybe the driver parked and climbed over the edge. Before walking into the house, officers worry someone might be home. I'm pretty sure we're going to run into Mike in there. Mike, Michael Stern, that's Sarah's dad.
Starting point is 00:07:03 Be prepared for if Mike is home, for him to be pissed. He may be out of state, but who knows? The front door is unlocked, and they head inside. We're going to make ourselves very well known by yelling and screaming. They're banging walls. The home is mostly dark, but there's a small lamp and overhead light on in the living room. Hello. It's a police department. Hello. Anybody home? Announce yourself, please. Hello. I guess the grandmother's not here. A big dog is locked in a crate. It's buddy. Sarah's 10-year-old
Starting point is 00:07:41 foxhound. He's brown and white with floppy ears and big brown eyes. Somebody put the dog in a cage. Hello. Police department. Hello, buddy. Good doggy. The officers shine their flashlights in to every corner of the house, putting a quick spotlight on family photos, Christmas decorations and pointatas, 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.
Starting point is 00:08:18 Wow, this house is jammed, packed. You 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.
Starting point is 00:08:51 Clues to Sarah's whereabouts. Can you 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 doggy. A treat for the good doggy. Besides Buddy, the house is empty.
Starting point is 00:09:18 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 Stern's house,
Starting point is 00:09:46 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. Mammoth County Sheriff's Department, do you know anything about a car, you know, gray Oldsmobile? And I said, yeah, my doiter drives that car. Then they hung up. Michael called back but got an answering machine.
Starting point is 00:10:15 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, towaway zone. I didn't know.
Starting point is 00:10:41 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.
Starting point is 00:11:24 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. And just happened to be that afternoon there was a rainbow over the Magic Kingdom. I sent her picture of that too. And she just said it was great. Michael wasn't sure what to think or how afraid to be. until the police called him back after their search of the house. Not in the house.
Starting point is 00:12:00 So now we're kind of wondering what's going on. Yeah, I was thinking something happened. So a million things go through your mind. He quickly packed up his things and began the long drive from Florida back to his New Jersey home. At 3.30, 4 o'clock in the morning is no traffic, so you can drive pretty quick. but talking constantly to the police, they would call, I would call them,
Starting point is 00:12:30 and getting calls from family, and I'm still looking for Sarah. 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? This show is sponsored by Zoc Doc. We all know that health problems don't follow a 9-to-5 schedule,
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Starting point is 00:16:30 Neptune City is a short drive from legendary Jersey Shore landmarks, like Belmar's E Street, which for Springsteen's East Street Band is named after, and Asbury Park, where the boss's career first took off, with hits like Blinded by the Light. 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.
Starting point is 00:17:18 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. Neptune City, New Jersey is as small town USA as it gets. It's a small, titanic community of people whose families have lived there for generations. Jessica Easthope covered Sarah's disappearance for Fios I News, a local news channel at the time. It's a middle and working class community. It's not the fancy Jersey shore that you're going to get in Spring Lake. it's more run-of-the-mill sleepy town.
Starting point is 00:18:04 But on December 3rd, 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. 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. Sarah and her family were well known in Neptune City.
Starting point is 00:18:41 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. kids who lived around her. Her neighbor, Carly Draper, said the two were raised like sisters. They always dropped by each other's houses and played together all the time. 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
Starting point is 00:19:21 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 just play back there all day long, sitting on the chairs and playing the sprinklers. 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 kids. 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
Starting point is 00:20:13 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. When did you appear? How did they eat and go? What did we eat?
Starting point is 00:20:35 Oh, Jesus. I had pork chops. And yogurt. And you're exciting. What? Not together as the dessert. Sarah was known for her quirky sense of humor. In a high school yearbook photo,
Starting point is 00:20:51 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 Sousa, 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 portrait.
Starting point is 00:21:27 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 comb. 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 days.
Starting point is 00:21:57 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 seen 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.
Starting point is 00:22:49 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,
Starting point is 00:23:15 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,
Starting point is 00:23:39 hoping for some clues about where Sarah could be. ABC Wednesdays, the Emmy-winning comedy Scrubs is all new. This is a whole new chapter for me. No more sad sack. That's what I'm talking about. I want both of our sacks to be fun. You two idiots are perfect for each other. from executive producers of Ted Lasso and Shrinking.
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Starting point is 00:24:41 R.J. Decker, series premiere. Tuesdays on ABC and stream on Hulu. An all-new season of the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is coming to Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus on March 12. 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. That is huge.
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Starting point is 00:25:30 The officer's way to come. couple of minutes and then see someone coming down the stairs. As the door creaks open, they cut right to the chase. Is Liam home? Is Liam home? Liam McItazney 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 Makatazni's also own. 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? Yes, Sarah's a very good friend.
Starting point is 00:26:14 Can you call Liam? Of course. If you don't mind? While police wait for Liam's mom to call him, another woman walks up to them in the dark. Robin 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. Okay, she brought over today a bin. Can I bring my mother stuff to your house.
Starting point is 00:27:01 So she brought a bin of stuff of her mother's to your house? Taped over and it's in my kitchen. I was out. I said, yes. I'll put it in the cubby. This seems to catch the officer's attention. Robin says it's a big bin, taped shut, and she doesn't know exactly what's in it. And I try texting her and nothing.
Starting point is 00:27:28 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. We're going to go knock, see if we can wake them up over there. The officer turns back to Robin Draper and asks if she told Michael Stern about the bins Sarah brought over.
Starting point is 00:28:07 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. Is she depressed? Is she depressed? Yes, I think she's surprised. Is she? Is she.
Starting point is 00:28:23 Mm-hmm. Not suicidal anyway, do you think? I don't know. All right. We're going to continue this search, then. Liam's on the other block. We're going to go over there now. The officers get in the car and move on to their next stop.
Starting point is 00:28:40 Liam McItazney's house. County from 3558. I'll be out of 11 Holly. It's related to this call. Around 4 a.m., police knock on Liam's door. Liam. You're Liam? You're Liam?
Starting point is 00:28:56 Can I come in and talk to you real quick? Yeah, no problem, officer. Is Sarah here by chance? No. The officer step into the house. It's dark inside. There are no lights on. When was the last time he talked to her?
Starting point is 00:29:08 Who's with her today? What time? Before I went to work. So it was earlier today? Yeah. The officer turns on a light, and he can see Liam more clearly. He's wearing a great t-shirt and shorts. He's tall, six-foot-two, with blue eyes and wavy blonde hair that's messy.
Starting point is 00:29:26 On police body camera footage, it seems like he's just woken up. Who was the last time you had any kind of contact at all with her? We went to get food today. 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.
Starting point is 00:29:54 And you went to work at a lot on? Uh, 430. Okay, so you haven't talked to her since 430? You have a cell phone you can reach out to her on? I actually haven't been able to find my cell phone. Liam says he's been looking for his phone, but can't find it. Keep looking for your cell phone, man, because we're trying to find Sarah. What was her mindset last time you talked to her?
Starting point is 00:30:15 I just know she's been trying to get away. I can tell me she's going to Canada. This is the first time officers are hearing that Sarah may have run. away. Trying to get away. Okay. Cannon, she's been real depressed lately. Her dad is crazy. It's also the first time they're hearing that Sarah may have had a strange 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.
Starting point is 00:30:55 Maybe reach out some friends, maybe hit our message on social media. I definitely will. Start reaching out to somebody see if anybody's talked to her or when they talk to her, what her mindset was and all that, all that, all right? I'm planning on getting a phone as soon as well. Okay. And as soon as you hear anything called the Neptune City or Neptune Township Police Department let us know.
Starting point is 00:31:13 Thank you. When the officers get back in the car, one of them sums up everything they've learned during their middle of the night's search for Sarah. It's a muddled picture of Sarah's life and mental state, shaped by their interviews with Robin Draper and Liam McIazney. She's not getting along her father. It's all kinds of emotional issues with her. We got depression. We got all kinds of stuff dealing with here. And we've got a car on top of our bridge. Officers don't know what to make of the case. Is it a missing person? Is it a suicide? At this point, nobody knows.
Starting point is 00:31:52 daybreak, the search for Sarah will accelerate, with divers and rescue boats on the frigid shark river. And I remember walking in in 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. And police will look more closely at Sarah's inner circle, examining friendships, lies, and perhaps even betrayal. You're young. I want to make sure you get how important.
Starting point is 00:32:22 this is. This young girl is off the grid all of a sudden. 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, seven days a week. You can also go to 988 lifeline.org. Bridge of Lies is a production of ABC Audio and 2020.
Starting point is 00:33:02 Hosted by me, Juju Chang. Produced by Camille Peterson and Sabrina Fang. Fact-checking and production help from Audrey Mastek and Annalisa Linder. Tracy Samuelson is our story editor. Our supervising producer is Sasha Aslanian. Music and mixing by Evan Viola. Special thanks to Katie Dendos, Janice Johnston, Joseph Diaz and Michelle Margulis.
Starting point is 00:33:27 Josh Cohen is our director of podcast programming. Amon McNiff is our executive producer. Friends like these, the murder of Skylar Nice, is now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus. 9-1-1, do you have an emergency? I have a 16-year-old daughter. Can't get a hold of her. I am scared to death.
Starting point is 00:33:52 We wanted to talk to Skyler's friends. They're not telling the full story. The truth is gruesomely horrific. How could you do this to your best friend? There's a darker secret that's not been said. Watch the new Hulu original series, Friends Like These, The Murder of Skyler Nees on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus. For bundle subscribers, terms apply.
Starting point is 00:34:11 From 30 for 30 podcasts. Brian Pada, senior defensive lineman from Miami. Gun down. The key to this case, it's Brian. A hour before he died, he was on the phone. This might be a hit. You want the truth. Biggest one of conviction.
Starting point is 00:34:36 In placing arrest. We had a killer amongst us. Murder at the U. Listen now.

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