Introducing 'Bridge of Lies' -- A New 20/20 True Crime Series

2 min

•Mar 4, 2026about 2 months ago

Summary

20/20 introduces 'Bridge of Lies,' a new true crime podcast series investigating the mysterious disappearance of 19-year-old Sarah Stern from a New Jersey bridge. The case unfolds through police investigation, witness accounts, and an undercover sting operation that reveals a shocking betrayal among friends.

Insights

Missing person cases often involve conflicting theories from witnesses, requiring investigators to distinguish between suicide, foul play, and voluntary disappearance
Digital footprint analysis (phone activity, banking records) can be critical in establishing timelines and identifying suspicious behavior in disappearance cases
Undercover operations and recorded conversations can provide definitive evidence in complex cases involving multiple suspects and conflicting narratives
Initial assumptions about a victim's mental health or past behavior can bias investigations and delay discovery of actual criminal activity

Trends

True crime podcast expansion into serialized investigative formats with multimedia storytellingLaw enforcement use of undercover operations and covert recordings in modern criminal investigationsMedia coverage of missing persons cases focusing on digital evidence and behavioral analysisPodcast platforms becoming primary distribution channels for long-form investigative journalism

Topics

Missing Persons Investigation Criminal Conspiracy Undercover Police Operations Digital Evidence in Criminal Cases Witness Testimony and Theory Development Suicide vs. Foul Play Determination Financial Records as Evidence Betrayal Among Peers Search and Rescue Operations True Crime Narrative Storytelling

Companies

ABC Audio

Producer and distributor of the 'Bridge of Lies' podcast series under the 20/20 brand

People

Sarah Stern

19-year-old missing person at the center of the investigation; described as promising artist and loving daughter

Juju Chang

Host and narrator of the 'Bridge of Lies' podcast series from 20/20 and ABC Audio

Quotes

"It's the beginning of a mystery. Is it a missing person? Is it a suicide? At this point, nobody knows."

Narrator•Opening

"A 19-year-old girl who would have normally been attached to her phone and she was off the grid"

Investigator•Mid-episode

"Bro, this is like a f***ing movie."

Undercover recording subject•Sting operation reveal

"What really happened on that bridge?"

Narrator•Teaser

Full Transcript

9-1-1, where is the emergency? It's the middle of the night in a small town on the Jersey Shore. Someone reports an abandoned car on a bridge. Was there anybody inside the vehicle? I looked, yeah. And the driver is nowhere to be found. It's the beginning of a mystery. Is it a missing person? Is it a suicide? At this point, nobody knows. We don't know if we got a jumper or what. Could have pulled up there and just jumped off the bridge. Underneath the bridge, the current of the Shark River runs fast out to the ocean. A search gets underway for the missing driver, 19-year-old Sarah Stern. The resources that are out there right now looking for her, the amount of manpower. We have people swimming in the Shark River in this cold weather. We have boats, we have helicopters. The day Sarah went missing, she went to her safety deposit box at the bank and brought boxes to a neighbor for safekeeping. 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 was a promising artist a loving daughter Sarah my only child It a hard feeling that we couldn find her A million things go through your mind. Her close friends share with police their varying theories on her disappearance. In the past, she has had a tendency to have self-destructive suicidal behavior. I thought she had staged it herself and just went to Canada without telling anyone. Like, you just hope that, you know, she's alive and well. What really happened on that bridge? An undercover sting operation reveals the ultimate betrayal, and it's all caught on tape. Bro, this is like a f***ing movie. The cops haven't questioned me. I know you're not a rat, but we've got to play it safe. Old friendships, buried cash, and a sinister plot that was once pitched as a movie plays out in real life. I'm Juju Chang. From 2020 and ABC Audio, listen to Bridge of Lies. Coming March 10th, wherever you listen to podcasts.