'Massive Search' Goes On After N.J. Teen's Mysterious Disappearance; 11th Missing Teen This Year

An N.J. teen's strange disappearance has led to a "massive search" and a great deal of mystery involving another in a long list of 11 N.J. teens who have disappeared this year.

Nineteen-year-old Sarah Stern was last seen on the afternoon of Dec. 2, when she left the Neptune City home she shared with her father and grandmother.

She left behind an empty silver 1994 Oldsmobile 88 that was parked on the shoulder of the southbound lanes of the Route 35 bridge in Belmar with the keys in the ignition early Saturday morning.

“We are asking everyone to keep an eye out for this young woman, and report any possible sightings as soon as possible,” Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni said.

Read more: 'Massive Search' On For Missing Neptune City Teenager, Monmouth County Prosecutor Says

Authorities, meanwhile, have added Stern to the long list of teens who have gone missing, and now their portraits are posted on the online site National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (you can see their pictures at the bottom of the story):

• Malaija Bates, missing since Nov 22, Collingswood, 15
• Ana Depaz, missing since Jul 2, Plainfield, 15
• Ja-Quan Easterling, missing since Sep 30, Newark, 16
• Tatiana Hansen, missing since Oct 9, Somerset, 17
• Sharibel Jimenez Holguin, missing since May 19, Passaic, 15
• Chrystopher Loeffler, missing since Sep 15, Newark, 16
• Josue Malave, issing since Oct 31, Jersey City, 17
• Karen Mejia, missing since Jun 10, Kearny, 17
• Anthony Minnella, missing since Mar 12, Egg Harbor City, 17
• Kendy Pinto Medina, missing since Sep 24, Morristown, 16

Stern's abandoned car — which had no mechanical issues — was first reported by a passerby to a Neptune Township police officer. There were no people in the area. The car was later towed off the bridge by the Neptune Township police, he said.

Neptune police contacted Belmar police around 3:40 a.m. to notify them the car was actually in Belmar's jurisdiction, which sparked a broader search for the young woman, Gramiccioni said.

Belmar police called in the Belmar Water Rescue Team to search the Shark River to determine if Stern may have jumped from the bridge, he said.

“An extensive search in the water and the surrounding area was conducted in an attempt to locate Miss Stern with negative results,” Gramiccioni said.

Stern is a 19-year-old white female who stands about 5-foot, 6-inches tall. She weighs about 130 pounds and has a medium complexion and long dark brown hair that hangs past her shoulders and hazel eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Brian Weisbrot from the Monmouth County Prosecutors Office at 732-431-7160 or Detective John Mahoney from the Belmar Police Department at 732-681-1700.

Here is more information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children site:

Image: Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office