NEPTUNE CITY — A 19-year-old Monmouth County woman is seemingly gone without a trace, leaving her family baffled.

Sarah Stern was last seen late Friday night leaving her Neptune City home she shared with her father and grandmother. Several hours later, her 1994 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale was found parked on the Route 35 bridge over the Shark River Inlet in Belmar around 2:45 a.m. A search over the weekend by New Jersey State Police and the U.S. Coast Guard turned up no trace of the aspiring artist.

"It's a very strange situation. Everybody just doesn't understand. Everybody is worried and concerned," Stern's cousin, Lauren Bahr, told New Jersey 101.5. Bahr has been spearheading an effort to get the word out via social media about Stern.

Belmar Police, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office and the New Jersey State Police Missing Person Unit are all investigating the case. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is also providing assistance.

A flyer by Monmouth County Crime Stoppers said it is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to the "identification, arrest and prosecution of any suspects" in Stern's disappearance.

"We're looking to get information. If anyone was coming over over the bridge at that time, saw the car or someone by the car, any bit of information helps," Bahr said. "The whole situation is confusing to everyone. Our whole family's hearts are broken and we just want to find her."

Crime Stoppers spokesman Charles Webster of the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said anyone with information about Stern should call 800-671-4400 or text "Monmouth" to 274637.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.

 

More From Beach Radio