Juju Chang

Like, how many chances?

It's the middle of the night in a small town on the Jersey Shore.

Someone reports an abandoned car on a bridge.

A search gets underway for the missing driver, 19-year-old Sarah Stern.

Is it a missing person?

Is it a suicide?

At this point, nobody knows.

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 now to Bridge of Lies, wherever you get your podcasts.

Not at the end of the season.

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

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, 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.